# Status of COVID-19 Patients Treated With Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Japan: Nationwide Database Analysis

## TL;DR

This study analyzed ECMO treatment outcomes for 196 Japanese COVID-19 patients, finding a 33.2% mortality rate and manageable complication rates compared to global data.

## Contribution

The study provides the first nationwide analysis of ECMO-treated COVID-19 patients in Japan, offering detailed clinical and epidemiological insights.

## Key findings

- Hospital mortality for ECMO-treated patients was 33.2%, with 23.0% discharged home.
- Common complications included pneumothorax (9.7%) and stroke (4.6%).
- 38.3% of patients had worsened self-care ability at discharge.

## Abstract

Background

The report of epidemiological data on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients treated using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in Japan has been limited. Our study seeks to fill the existing gap in knowledge by providing an in-depth analysis of the clinical epidemiological characteristics and diverse medical outcomes of COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO in Japan.

Methods

This study used the COVID-19 Registry Japan nationwide database. We included patients aged 18 years or older enrolled between March 17, 2020, and February 1, 2022, with traceable ECMO data. The items on clinical epidemiological characteristics and various medical outcomes were collected. Statistical analysis included a median and interquartile range (IQR) for continuous variables and frequencies for categorical variables.

Results

The number of participating hospitals was 731, and the number of patients enrolled for analysis was 49,590. Of these, 196 (0.4%) patients received ECMO. Hospital mortality was 33.2%, and discharge to home was 23.0% in the ECMO group. The complications during hospitalization included pneumothorax (9.7%), seizures (4.1%), stroke (4.6%), and pulmonary thromboembolism (2.0%). At discharge, 38.3% had worsened self-care ability, and 38.8% had worsened ambulatory function.

Conclusions

The results of ECMO treatment in Japan showed that the mortality and complication rates were well-controlled compared with those worldwide.