Thrombotic Events Related to Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in COVID-19-Associated Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Abstract

Hypercoagulopathy associated with COVID-19 is the leading cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiple organ failure, and mortality (1). Several patients develop thrombotic complications due to this uncontrolled immune thrombotic response which might be a major risk factor related to the development of ARDS and progression from ARDS to death (1). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to manage patients with COVID-19-associated severe respiratory or cardiac failure (2-4). We aim to summarise our experience with deadly thrombotic complications during venovenous ECMO (vvECMO) treatment in 6 patients with COVID-19 associated ARDS between March and April, 2020.