His condition hints of both heart and lung failure, but...
Sept. 25. 2020.
Survival rates for COVID-19 patients on ECMO life support is similar to that for other ARDS causes, a new study finds.
labblog.uofmhealth.org
"...It saved lives in past epidemics of lung-damaging viruses. Now, the life-support option known as ECMO appears to be doing the same for many of the critically ill COVID-19 patients who receive the treatment, according to a new international study.
The 1,035 patients in the study faced a staggeringly high risk of death, as ventilators and other care failed to support their lungs. But after they were placed on ECMO,
their actual death rate was less than 40%. That’s similar to the rate for patients treated with ECMO in past outbreaks of lung-damaging viruses, and other severe forms of viral pneumonia..."
The article's statements caution against adding ECMO at facilities that did not have expertise pre-epidemic, so it seems
staffing is a greater hurdle to expansion than purchasing necessary equipment.