Publication Date
9-1-2023
Journal
The Texas Heart Journal
DOI
10.14503/THIJ-23-8132
PMID
37876039
Publication Date(s)
September 2023
Language
English
PMCID
PMC10658157
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
10-25-2023
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-Print
Published Open-Access
yes
Keywords
Male, Humans, Adult, COVID-19, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, Respiration, Artificial, Respiratory Insufficiency, Lung
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
This report highlights survival and the patient’s perspective after prolonged venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for COVID-19–related respiratory failure.
A 36-year-old man with COVID-19 presented with fever, anosmia, and hypoxia. After respiratory deterioration necessitating intubation and lung-protective ventilation, he was referred for ECMO. After 3 days of conventional venovenous ECMO, he required multiple creative cannulation configurations. Adequate sedation and recurrent bradycardia were persistent challenges. After 149 consecutive days of ECMO, he recovered native lung function and was weaned from mechanical ventilation.
This represents the longest-duration ECMO support in a survivor of COVID-19 yet reported. Necessary strategies included unconventional cannulation and flexible anticoagulation.