Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in COVID-19– Associated acute respiratory distress syndrome – Outcome and experience in a tertiary care intensive care unit – A retrospective study

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who fail conventional treatment. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was designed in patients who underwent ECMO for severe COVID-19 ARDS in a tertiary care centre from September 2020 to July 2021. The primary outcome was to assess factors influencing clinical outcomes and survival to hospital discharge. Secondary outcomes were to assess the clinical profile and pre-ECMO features, ECMO characteristics and complications. Collected data were entered in Excel software and analysed using R software version 4.0.2 (R foundation for statistical computing, Vienna, Austria). RESULTS: A total of 19 patients underwent ECMO. Ten patients survived and discharge. Survivors had a longer median (interquartile range [IQR]) duration (days) on ECMO, that is, 25 (7–50), compared to non-survivors, that is, 12 (1–34) (P = 0.133). We also noted that patients who survived had a longer median (IQR) duration (days) of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, that is, 41.5 (30–70), compared to non-survivors, that is, 9 (2–40) (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: In our study, 52.3% of patients survived and discharge, and with ECMO outcomes for COVID-19 ARDS were at par with ECMO outcomes for non-COVID-19 ARDS despite requiring ECMO for longer duration and increased ICU length of stay.