Outcome of COVID-19patients treated with VV-ECMO in Tyrol during the pandemic.

Abstract

Asmall percentage of patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV‑2) showed severe respiratory deterioration requiring treatment with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). During the pandemic surges availability of ECMO devices was limited and resources had to be used wisely. The aim of this analysis was to determine the incidence and outcome of venovenous (VV)ECMO patients in Tyrol, when criteria based on the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) guidelines for VV-ECMO initiation were established. This is asecondary analysis of the Tyrol-CoV-ICU-Reg, which includes all patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Tyrol. Of the 13participating departments, VV-ECMO was performed at 4units at the University Hospital Innsbruck. Overall, 37(3.4%) of 1101 patients were treated with VV-ECMO during their ICU stay. The hospital mortality rate was approximately 40% (n = 15). Multiorgan failure due to sepsis was the most common cause of death. No significant difference in survival rates between newly initiated and experienced centers was observed. The median survival time of nonsurvivors was 27days (interquartile range, IQR: 22-36 days) after initiation of VV-ECMO. Acute kidney injury meeting the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria occurred in 48.6%. Renal replacement therapy (RRT) was initiated in 12(32.4%) patients after amedian of 18days (IQR: 1-26 days) after VV-ECMO start. The median length of ICU and hospital stays were 38days (IQR: 30-55 days) and 50days (IQR: 37-83 days), respectively. Despite a rapidly increased demand and the resulting requirement to initiate an additional ECMO center, we could demonstrate that astructured approach with interdisciplinary collaboration resulted in favorable survival rates similar to multinational reports.