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Registry data reaffirmed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as a reasonable strategy for COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory problems, with most survivors discharged home and several going on to receive lung transplants.
Survival outcomes were outlined for 189 consecutive COVID-19 patients who had received ECMO support at 20 institutions at the time of the analysis:
98 died on ECMO or within 24 hours of decannulation
12 survived their ECMO run but died more than a day later in the hospital
Nine are alive and remain in the hospital
70 were discharged alive from the hospital
"Our experience and analysis of 189 consecutive patients at 20 hospitals reveal that ECMO facilitates salvage and survival of select critically ill patients with COVID-19," stated Jeffrey Jacobs, MD, of University of Florida in Gainesville, during the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) virtual meeting.