Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during the first three waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic—A retrospective single‐center registry study

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing knowledge about the optimal treatment for patients with severe COVID‐19, data from different cohorts suggested that survival of patients treated with ECMO seemed to decline over the course of the pandemic. METHODS: In this non‐interventional retrospective single‐center registry study we analyzed all consecutive patients tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and supported with VV ECMO in our center during the first three waves of the pandemic. From March 2020 through June 2021, 59 patients have been included. RESULTS: Overall 90‐day survival was 32%. Besides changes in drug treatment for COVID‐19 and a lower PaO(2)/FiO(2) ratio before ECMO initiation during the third wave, all other patient baseline characteristics were similar during the three waves. Survival rate was highest during the first wave and lowest during the third wave, yet this difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: VV ECMO has shown to be a feasible and safe support option for patients with severe respiratory failure due to COVID‐19. The results from this single‐center study confirm findings from other cohorts showing declining survival rates of patients treated with VV ECMO during the COVID‐19 pandemic, however, the specific reasons for this finding remain unclear.