Efficacy of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in pediatric COVID-19 and MIS-C cases: A single-center experience

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the need and the indication of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) followed up in the pediatric intensive care unit by the demographic, clinical, and laboratory data and treatment response. METHODS: A total of 79 patients (43 males, 36 females; median age: 138 months; range, 6 to 210 months) with COVID-19 and MIS-C followed up between September 2020 - September 2021 were included in this retrospective study. Demographic and clinical data were retrospectively collected from patient files, and clinical data, laboratory findings, chest X-rays, and echocardiography results of six patients (1 male and 5 female, median age: 159 months, range, 13 to 210 months) who needed ECMO due to poor response to medical treatment were recorded before and after the ECMO therapy. RESULTS: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy was performed on one patient with a positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test and five patients with MIS-C in our unit. Five patients were supported with venoarterial (v-a) ECMO, and one patient was supported with venovenous ECMO. Median hospitalization time was 29 (range, 24 to 50) days, median Pediatric Risk of Mortality score was 19.5 (range, 11 to 36), and median length of mechanical ventilation was 23.5 (range, 10 to 45) days. The median vasoactive inotropic score was 55.5 (range, 18 to 110) before ECMO, while the median vasoactive inotropic score was 11 (range, 0 to 34) after ECMO. Four patients were successfully weaned off ECMO, and one of these patients was lost due to brain death 15 days after the weaning. One patient infected with the delta variant of COVID-19, which remained positive during the clinical course, and one patient diagnosed with MIS-C was lost despite the v-a ECMO support. Three of the patients were discharged. Thrombosis developed in the superficial femoral artery of one patient on the cannulated side during v-a ECMO. No death due to complications of ECMO was recorded. CONCLUSION: In our study, although the majority of our patients followed up with the diagnosis of COVID-19 and MIS-C showed a mild or moderate clinical course, it was observed that a severe clinical course could develop in a small number of patients and that ECMO treatment may be needed in these patients. In agreement with the ECMO studies with different indications in the literature, we conclude that ECMO therapy may markedly contribute to the prognosis in COVID-19 and MIS-C patients when the initiation and termination timing of therapy is correct.