Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in the United States around March 2020. Because of limited access to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the authors’ region, a mobile ECMO team was implemented by April 2020 to serve patients with COVID-19. Several logistical and operational needs were assessed and addressed to ensure a successful program, including credentialing, equipment management, and transportation. A multidisciplinary team was included in the planning, decision-making, and implementation of the mobile ECMO. From April 2020 to January 2021, mobile ECMO was provided to 22 patients in 13 facilities across four southern California counties. The survival to hospital discharge of patients with COVID-19 who received mobile ECMO was 52.4% (11 of 21) compared with 45.2% (14 of 31) for similar patients cannulated in-house. No significant patient or transportation complications occurred during mobile ECMO. Neither the ECMO nor transport teams experianced unprotected exposures to or infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Herein, the implementation of the mobile ECMO team is reviewed, and patient characteristics and outcomes are described.
Highlights
Implementation and Outcomes of a Mobile Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Program in the United States During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in the United States around March 2020
Mobile extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was deployed to 13 different facilities in four southern California counties (Fig S2)
Summary
Implementation and Outcomes of a Mobile Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Program in the United States During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in the United States around March 2020. Because of limited access to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the authors’ region, a mobile ECMO team was implemented by April 2020 to serve patients with COVID-19. EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE oxygenation (ECMO) is an advanced mechanical circulatory support therapy for refractory cardiac and/or respiratory failure.[1] This technology has been used increasingly for adults in the United States since the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and again in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus disease. 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.[2] Mobile ECMO is deployed when critically ill patients at outside facilities are too clinically unstable to transfer to a regional ECMO center
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