Open Access

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the management of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019: A narrative review

  • Authors:
    • Alexandru Florin Pleșoianu
    • Carmen Elena Pleșoianu
    • Iris Bararu‑Bojan (Bararu)
    • Maria-Cristina Vlădeanu (Apăvăloaei)
    • Andrei Bojan
    • Andrei Țăruș
    • Grigore Tinică
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: September 14, 2021     https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10731
  • Article Number: 1296
  • Copyright: © Pleșoianu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

What started with 41 hospitalized patients identified as having laboratory‑confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) in Wuhan, China, by January 2, 2020, turned into an unprecedented pandemic with more than 113 million confirmed cases and a mortality exceeding 2.5 million deaths worldwide by the beginning of March 2021. Although the course of the disease is uneventful in most cases, there is a percentage of patients who become critically ill and need admission in the intensive care unit for severe respiratory failure. Numerous of these patients undergo invasive mechanical ventilation and have an extremely high mortality rate. For these patients, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has emerged as a last standing resource. In the present study, the literature was reviewed to evaluate the worldwide data regarding the use of ECMO in the management of critically ill COVID‑19 patients. ISI Thomson Web of Science was searched for articles with English language abstracts from inception to March 1, 2021, with ‘ECMO in COVID‑19’ as key words. A total of 214 abstracts were screened (case reports, guidelines, reviews) and the most relevant articles were included in the present review. The use of ECMO in the management of critically ill patients with COVID‑19‑induced acute respiratory distress syndrome refractory to conventional mechanical invasive ventilation is increasing. By increasing the survival rate from less than 20% to more than 50%, ECMO proved to be a valuable resource in the management of the most challenging critically ill COVID‑19 patients.
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November-2021
Volume 22 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1792-0981
Online ISSN:1792-1015

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Spandidos Publications style
Pleșoianu AF, Pleșoianu CE, Bararu‑Bojan (Bararu) I, Vlădeanu (Apăvăloaei) M, Bojan A, Țăruș A and Tinică G: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the management of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019: A narrative review. Exp Ther Med 22: 1296, 2021
APA
Pleșoianu, A.F., Pleșoianu, C.E., Bararu‑Bojan (Bararu), I., Vlădeanu (Apăvăloaei), M., Bojan, A., Țăruș, A., & Tinică, G. (2021). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the management of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019: A narrative review. Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 22, 1296. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10731
MLA
Pleșoianu, A. F., Pleșoianu, C. E., Bararu‑Bojan (Bararu), I., Vlădeanu (Apăvăloaei), M., Bojan, A., Țăruș, A., Tinică, G."Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the management of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019: A narrative review". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 22.5 (2021): 1296.
Chicago
Pleșoianu, A. F., Pleșoianu, C. E., Bararu‑Bojan (Bararu), I., Vlădeanu (Apăvăloaei), M., Bojan, A., Țăruș, A., Tinică, G."Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the management of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019: A narrative review". Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine 22, no. 5 (2021): 1296. https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2021.10731