Extracorporal Membrane Oxygenation for Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19

All adults (>18 years) with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure due to diagnosed COVID-19 pneumonia and admitted to ICU from 01/02/2020 until 31/07/2021 were included in the study. Following the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocol 19, laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 infection was defined as a positive result on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays of nasopharyngeal swab samples or bronchoalveolar lavage. Only laboratory-confirmed patients were included in the analysis.

Additional data collection

Additional collected parameters are listed below and are collected as a standard-of-care in our hospital:

• Demographics: i.e age, gender, BMI
• DNR code
• Comorbidities: smoking, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, malignancies, renal failure (AKI), liver failure, gastrointestinal disease, neurological conditions, mental state, other
• Symptoms at the time of admission to ICU: i.e fever, body temperature, dyspnoea, headache, diarrhea etc…
• Laboratory results of all standard parameters measured
• Treatment: antiviral agents, antibiotics, etc…
• Complications: shock, heart failure, sepsis, stroke, etc…
• Ventilation: method, PEEP, FiO2, P/F ratio ..

Inclusion criteria

• All adult COVID-19 patients (>18 years) admitted to the ICU between 01/02/2020 and 31/07/2021 with a laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 infection with a positive result on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays of nasopharyngeal swab samples or bronchoalveolar lavage

Exclusion criteria

• All adult patients admitted for other reasons to the ICU (no COVID-19 pneumonia)