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

Andreas Peer; Fabian Perschinka; Georg Lehner; Timo Mayerhöfer; Peter Mair; Juliane Kilo; Robert Breitkopf; Dietmar Fries; Michael Joannidis

doi:10.1007/s00508-023-02301-5

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

Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2023 Nov 10. doi: 10.1007/s00508-023-02301-5. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Andreas Peer¹, Fabian Perschinka¹, Georg Lehner¹, Timo Mayerhöfer¹, Peter Mair², Juliane Kilo³, Robert Breitkopf², Dietmar Fries², Michael Joannidis⁴

Affiliations

¹ Division of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstr. 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
² Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
³ Department of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
⁴ Division of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University Innsbruck, Anichstr. 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria. michael.joannidis@i-med.ac.at.

PMID: 37947878
DOI: 10.1007/s00508-023-02301-5

Abstract

Introduction: A small percentage of patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (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.

Methods: This is a secondary 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 13 participating departments, VV-ECMO was performed at 4 units at the University Hospital Innsbruck.

Results: 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 27 days (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 a median of 18 days (IQR: 1-26 days) after VV-ECMO start. The median length of ICU and hospital stays were 38 days (IQR: 30-55 days) and 50 days (IQR: 37-83 days), respectively.

Discussion: Despite a rapidly increased demand and the resulting requirement to initiate an additional ECMO center, we could demonstrate that a structured approach with interdisciplinary collaboration resulted in favorable survival rates similar to multinational reports.

Keywords: Age; Complications; Experienced center; Newly initiated center; RRT delay.