Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with severe respiratory failure from COVID-19

PURPOSE: Limited data are available on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in patients with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: We examined the clinical features and outcomes of 190 patients treated with ECMO within 14 days of ICU admission, using data from a multicenter cohort study of 5122 critically ill adults with COVID-19 admitted to 68 hospitals across the United States. To estimate the effect of ECMO on mortality, we emulated a target trial of ECMO receipt versus no ECMO receipt within 7 days of ICU admission among mechanically ventilated patients with severe hypoxemia (PaO(2)/FiO(2) < 100). Patients were followed until hospital discharge, death, or a minimum of 60 days. We adjusted for confounding using a multivariable Cox model. RESULTS: Among the 190 patients treated with ECMO, the median age was 49 years (IQR 41–58), 137 (72.1%) were men, and the median PaO(2)/FiO(2) prior to ECMO initiation was 72 (IQR 61–90). At 60 days, 63 patients (33.2%) had died, 94 (49.5%) were discharged, and 33 (17.4%) remained hospitalized. Among the 1297 patients eligible for the target trial emulation, 45 of the 130 (34.6%) who received ECMO died, and 553 of the 1167 (47.4%) who did not receive ECMO died. In the primary analysis, patients who received ECMO had lower mortality than those who did not (HR 0.55; 95% CI 0.41–0.74). Results were similar in a secondary analysis limited to patients with PaO(2)/FiO(2) < 80 (HR 0.55; 95% CI 0.40–0.77). CONCLUSION: In select patients with severe respiratory failure from COVID-19, ECMO may reduce mortality. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00134-020-06331-9.