Artificial organs
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Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) is used to sustain blood oxygenation and decarboxylation in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). It is under debate if V-V ECMO is as appropriate for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) ARDS as it is for influenza. In this retrospective study, we analyzed all patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 or influenza A/B infection, ARDS and V-V ECMO, treated at our medical intensive care unit (ICU) between October 2010 and June 2020. ⋯ Cumulative incidences of 30-day-survival showed no significant differences (48.6% in Covid-19 patients, 63.7% in influenza patients; P = .23). ICU treatment duration was significantly longer in ARDS patients with V-V ECMO for Covid-19 compared to influenza. Thirty-day mortality was higher in Covid-19, but not significant.
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Modern extracorporeal life-support (ECLS) technology has been successfully utilized to treat patients with diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) and diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH); however, reports in the literature remain scarce. We sought to pool existing evidence to better characterize ECLS use in these patients. An electronic search was conducted to identify all studies in the English literature reporting the use of ECLS for DAD/DAH. ⋯ Overall, 94.7% (36/38) of patients survived to decannulation while 30-day mortality was 10.5% (4/38) with no differences between VA- and VV-ECMO (P = 1 and P = .94, respectively). DAD/DAH occurs in a younger, predominantly female population, and tends to be associated with systemic autoimmune processes. ECLS, independent of its type, appears to result in favorable short-term survival.