The role of extracorporeal life support for patients with COVID-19: Preliminary results from a statewide experience.

OBJECTIVE: There is a paucity of clinical data on critically ill patients with COVID-19 requiring extracorporeal life support. METHODS: A statewide multi-institutional collaborative for COVID-19 patients was utilized to obtain clinical data on the first 10 critically ill COVID-19 patients who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). RESULTS: Of the first 10 patients that required ECMO for COVID-19, the age ranged from 31 to 62 years with the majority (70%) being men. Seven (70%) had comorbidities. The majority (80%) of patients had known sick contact and exposure to COVID-19 positive patients or traveled to pandemic areas inside the United States within the 2 weeks before symptom onset. None of the patients were healthcare workers. The most common symptoms leading to the presentation were high fever ≥103°F (90%), cough (80%) and dyspnea (70%), followed by fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms (both 30%), myalgia, loss of taste, pleuritic chest pain, and confusion (all 10%). All patients had bilateral infiltrates on chest X-rays suggestive of interstitial viral pneumonia. All patients were cannulated in the venovenous configuration. Two (20%) patients were successfully liberated from ECMO support after 7 and 10 days, respectively, and one (10%) patient is currently on a weaning course. One patient (10%) died after 9 days on ECMO from multiorgan dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary multi-institutional data from a statewide collaborative offer insight into the clinical characteristics of the first 10 patients requiring ECMO for COVID-19 and their initial clinical course. Greater morbidity and mortality is likely to be seen in these critically ill patients with longer follow-up.

Pulmonary Pathology of COVID-19 Following 8 Weeks to 4 Months of Severe Disease: A Report of Three Cases, Including One With Bilateral Lung Transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: Current knowledge of the pulmonary pathology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is based largely on postmortem studies. In most, the interval between disease onset and death is relatively short (<1 month). Information regarding lung pathology in patients who survive for longer periods is scant. We describe the pathology in three patients with severe COVID-19 who underwent antemortem examination of lung tissue at least 8 weeks after initial diagnosis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case series. RESULTS: The first patient developed acute respiratory failure and was started on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on day 21, with subsequent hemothorax. Debridement (day 38) showed extensive lung infarction with diffuse alveolar damage and Candida overgrowth. The second patient developed acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation that did not improve despite ECMO. Surgical lung biopsy on day 74 showed diffuse interstitial fibrosis with focal microscopic honeycomb change. The third patient also required ECMO and underwent bilateral lung transplantation on day 126. The explanted lungs showed diffuse interstitial fibrosis with focal microscopic honeycomb change. CONCLUSIONS: This series provides histologic confirmation that complications of COVID-19 after 8 weeks to 4 months of severe disease include lung infarction and diffuse interstitial fibrosis.

Successful Management of Cardiac Arrest Due to Pulmonary Embolus Using Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation and Ultrasound-Accelerated Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis.

Here we present the case of a patient that suffered a cardiac arrest due to pulmonary embolus. The patient was resuscitated using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and treated with ultrasound-accelerated catheter-directed thrombolysis during support on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, with an excellent outcome. This case demonstrates that the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and ultrasound-accelerated catheter-directed thrombolysis can be highly effective for managing select patients with pulmonary embolus and cardiac arrest.