Journal of infection and chemotherapy : official journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy
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J. Infect. Chemother. · Dec 2020
Case ReportsMonitoring of viral load by RT-PCR caused decision making to continue ECMO therapy for a patient with COVID-19.
Most patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have just only mild symptoms, but about 5% are very severe. Although extracorporeal membranous oxygenation (ECMO) is sometimes used in critically patients with COVID-19, ECMO is only an adjunct, not the main treatment. If the patient's condition deteriorates and it is determined to be irreversible, it is necessary to decide to stop ECMO. ⋯ We decided to continue ECMO therapy and replaced the circuit. The patient's respiratory status subsequently improved and ECMO was stopped on day 21 of onset. In conclusion, viral load measurement by RT-PCR may be one of the indicators for promoting the treatment of severe COVID-19 patients.