The Use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in COVID-19 Patients with Severe Cardiorespiratory Failure: The Influence of Obesity on Outcomes

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the management of severely ill patients with COVID-19 has been reported in more than 5,827 cases worldwide according to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). Several pre-existing conditions have been linked to an increase in COVID-19 mortality risk including obesity. The purpose of this research is to review the clinical experience from a cohort of 342 COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO in which 61.7% (211/342) are confirmed obese. Following institutional review board approval, we reviewed all 342 COVID-19 patients supported with ECMO between March 17, 2020 and March 18, 2021, at 40 American institutions from a multi-institutional database. Descriptive statistics comparing survivors to non-survivors were calculated using chi-square, Welch’s ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test as appropriate. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the odds of survival while adjusting for age, gender, chronic renal failure, diabetes, asthma, hypertension, and pre-ECMO P/F ratio. Descriptive analysis showed that obese patients were more likely to be hypertensive (58.1% vs. 32%, p