Pregnant/Peripartum Women with COVID-19 High Survival with ECMO: An ELSO Registry Analysis

In the US, 131,512 pregnant/peripartum women have been affected by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), with 200 associated deaths (0.15%) [1]. The hormonal, physiological, and immunomodulatory changes during pregnancy increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and may predispose women to more severe presentations of COVID-19 [2]. COVID-19 in pregnant/peripartum This vulnerable population should be considered for V-V ECMO support for COVID-19. women is associated with higher risk for preterm birth, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, perinatal death, and higher rates of intensive care admission, mechanical ventilation, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) when compared to pregnant/peripartum women without COVID-19 or when compared to non-pregnant women with COVID-19 [2-4]. Veno-venous (V-V) ECMO is an invasive strategy to support oxygenation and ventilation for respiratory failure when conventional therapies have failed. We investigated the survival and complications of pregnant/peripartum women with COVID19 supported with V-V ECMO reported to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Registry.