primary analysis of covid-19 ecmo patients in israel and a comparison to the euro-elso covid registry

introduction

During the past year we have witnessed an unprecedented international health crisis which has pushed health-care systems to their limits. ECMO is a well-established cardio-pulmonary support system in Israel and is a central tool in the management of Covid-19 patients. This paper summarizes the use of ECMO in managing COVID-19 patients in Israel in comparison to Euro-ELSO COVID registry, over the past year.

Methods

Data from all 12 Covid-19 ECMO centers in Israel together with data from 187 European centers was collected through the Euro ECMO-COVID survey on weekly basis. A comparison between the two registries was done after 1 year of data collection.

Results

From March 2021 to February 2021 there were 201 ECMO patients in Israel that have either been successfully weaned off or died on ECMO. 76% of patients were male. Successful weaning rate was 50% both in male and female groups. In comparison to the European registry where they had 2809 patients either been successfully weaned off or died on ECMO. Successful weaning rate was 52%. 80% of patients were male. In Israel, mean age was 51 years. Half of the patients where under 53 years old with an average age of 41 years. 60% of the younger patients have been successfully weaned of ECMO. In comparison, 40% of the elderly patients, average age 62 years, have been successfully weaned off of ECMO.

Discussion

ECMO is an effective suppurative treatment for patients suffering from severe pulmonary impairment due to Covid-19 in Israel. Age and weaning rates are comparable with the Euro ELSO COVID registry. In Israel, age was found to be an important prognostic factor. Further analysis should be done to better understand and treat Covid-19 ECMO patients.