The role of ECMO in COVID-19: Can it provide rescue therapy in those who are critically ill?
Sugeevan SavarimuthuJalal BinSaeidAmer HarkyPublished in: Journal of cardiac surgery (2020)
Arising from the city of Wuhan, Hubei province in China, a novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been rapidly spreading since its first presentation in late 2019. The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on the 11th March 2020, and as of 29th of April 2020 more than 3 million cases have been reported worldwide with over 225 000 confirmed deaths. Where mechanical ventilation may not be enough, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) could play a role as a form of rescue therapy and may provide beneficial results in the hands of skilled clinicians in centers with experience of using ECMO appropriately in selected patients. Our understanding of COVID-19 is ever-changing and the need for intensive care beds is rising, which means that ECMO will surely play a key role in the near future.
Keyphrases
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- acute respiratory distress syndrome
- coronavirus disease
- mechanical ventilation
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- sars cov
- respiratory failure
- end stage renal disease
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- intensive care unit
- palliative care
- peritoneal dialysis
- south africa
- cell therapy
- current status