Implementation and Outcomes of a Mobile Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program in the United States during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Odish, Mazen F.; Yi, Cassia; Chicotka, Scott; Genovese, Bradley; Golts, Eugene; Madani, Michael; Owens, Robert L.; Pollema, Travis

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in the United States around March 2020. With limited access to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in our region, we implemented a mobile ECMO team by April 2020 to serve patients with COVID-19. Several logistical and operational needs were assessed and addressed to ensure a successful program, including credentialing, equipment management, and transportation. A multi-disciplinary team was included in the planning, decision making, and implementation of mobile ECMO. From April 2020 to January 2021, we provided mobile ECMO to 22 patients in 13 facilities across four southern California counties. The survival to hospital discharge of patients with COVID-19 who received mobile ECMO was 52.4% (11/21) compared to 45.2% (14/31) for similar patients cannulated in-house. No significant patient or transport complications occurred during mobile ECMO. There were no unprotected exposures or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections to our ECMO or transport teams. Here we reviewed the implementation of our mobile ECMO team and described the patient characteristics and outcomes.