COVID-19 Outbreak in France: Setup and Activities of a Mobile Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Team During the First 3 Weeks

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 –related disease, coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19), mainly is characterized by respiratory manifestations, with approximately 15% to 30% of patients developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).1 The World Health Organization guidelines recommend to proceed to venovenous extracorporeal membran e oxygenation (ECMO) for eligible patients with COVID-19–related ARDS only in centers with “sufficient case volume to ensure clinical expertise.”2 The Amiens ECMO center received many calls from several hospitals in the region about refractory ARDS secondary to COVID-19 during the first weeks after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.
Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research