Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation – Crucial Considerations during the Coronavirus Crisis

The illness due to severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 commenced in December 2019 and is now a worldwide crisis. Although patients with this infection may have mild-to-moderate disease with clinical recovery, some may develop severe respiratory failure with or without cardiovascular collapse. The high risks of infection have mandated rigorous infectious precautions and adjusted workflows for patient care, including airway management, echocardiography, cardiothoracic and vascular procedures as well as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).