COVID-19 patients treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) appear to have a much lower mortality rate than initial early reports suggested.
ECMO has been utilized in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and hypoxemia that fails to respond to standard treatment. But early case series suggested a high mortality rate – topping 90%.
The in-hospital mortality rate was 45.9%, far lower than initial early reports and refuting previous reports of futility for ECMO in COVID-19 patients with ARDS.
Source: Reuters