Effect of symptoms duration on the outcome of covid-19 patients supported by venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Rationale: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VVECMO) has recently been shown to have acceptable outcomes for refractory COVID-19-related ARDS. Whether the duration of symptoms before the commencement of ECMO impact the outcomes is unknown. Objectives: The study investigated the impact of symptoms duration on VV-ECMO support for COVID-19 acute respiratory failure. Methods: retrospective analysis of VV ECMO patients treated in our institution through the study period from April 2020 through December 2020. Measurement and Main Results: There were 32 COVID-19 patients were supported with VV ECMO for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The majority of our patients were Hispanic (62.5%), male (68.8%), with a median age of 43.5 (IQR = 27-64). The prevalent co-morbidities are hypertension (62.5%) followed by Diabetes Mellitus (37.5%). Sixteen (50%) patients survived the hospital discharge. The median duration of symptoms before ECMO initiation was 18 days (SD = 5.7) in the ECMO survivors and the non-survivors 12 days (SD = 7) (p = 0.17). Conclusion: Our study suggests that the duration of clinical symptoms has no impact on the patient outcome if they were supported by VV-ECMO. More studies are needed to confirm our findings.