Mobile ECMO in COVID-19 patient: case report

Abstract

At July 25, 2020, WHO had recorded more than 16.1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, 1% of them developed critical illness. These patients can experience rapid progression to profound hypoxemia and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Some patients, despite receiving lung-protective ventilation and maximal medical therapy, develop refractory hypoxemia, rendering candidates for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. Centers with experience in this technique are available only in a few reference hospitals and some patients are too ill to be transferred with conventional mechanical ventilation so they need mobile ECMO (interhospital transport under ECMO). Here we report the first interhospital extracorporeal membrane oxygenation transport of a COVID-19 patient in Chile, showing that it is feasible and safe to transfer a COVID-19 patient under ECMO support if a mobile ECMO program is correctly implemented and the particularities of protective measures are properly taken.