Postpandemic Influenza Mortality in Veno-Venous ECMO-Treated Patients in Reunion Island: a Retrospective Single Center Study

Abstract Objectives Our aim was to assess the post-pandemic mortality of influenza of patients on Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV-ECMO) in Reunion Island by comparing it to other patients on VV-ECMO. Design Retrospective, descriptive, and single-center cohort study. The primary outcome was the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) for influenza based on the quartiles of the Resp-Score in the reference population of patients with VV-ECMO. Setting Intensive Care Unit, Felix Guyon Hospital, University Teaching Hospital of La Reunion, La Reunion (France), Indian Ocean. Participants Consecutive patients on ECMO with positive Polymerase Chain Reaction for Influenza Intervention none. Measurements and Main Results 127 consecutive patients were hospitalized in our ICU with a positive Influenza PCR, from January 2013 to December 2017. Twenty-four influenza patients underwent ECMO including 18 patients with VV-ECMO. During this period, a total of 72 patients requiring VV-ECMO were hospitalized in our ICU. The overall mortality rate of influenza patients on VV-ECMO was 61% vs 46% for non-influenza patients. The SMR per quartile of RespScore was 1.28 (CI 95%: 0.61-2.35). Conclusions In Reunion, the mortality of patients on VV-ECMO for severe influenza is not lower than the expected mortality of all patients on VV-ECMO.