• David Hajage, Alain Combes, Christophe Guervilly, Guillaume Lebreton, Alain Mercat, Arthur Pavot, Saad Nseir, Armand Mekontso-Dessap, Nicolas Mongardon, Jean Paul Mira, Jean-Damien Ricard, Alexandra Beurton, Guillaume Tachon, Loay Kontar, Christophe Le Terrier, Jean Christophe Richard, Bruno Mégarbane, Ruth H Keogh, Aurélien Belot, Camille Maringe, Clémence Leyrat, Matthieu Schmidt, and COVID-ICU Investigators.
• Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique, AP-HP.
• Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2022 Aug 1; 206 (3): 281294281-294.

AbstractRationale: Whether patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. Objectives: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-day mortality versus IMV only. Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO versus no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 < 80 or PaCO2 ⩾ 60 mm Hg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model on the basis of predefined variables. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability on Day 7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs. 83%; risk difference, 4%; 95% confidence interval, 0-9%), which decreased during follow-up (survival on Day 90: 63% vs. 65%; risk difference, -2%; 95% confidence interval, -10 to 5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand and when initiated within the first 4 days of IMV and in patients who are profoundly hypoxemic. Conclusions: In an emulated trial on the basis of a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand.

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