Conclusions
The study included the largest
number of patients with outcome findings of ECMO in this current
pandemic. Our findings showed that the use of venovenous ECMO at
high-volume ECMO centres may be beneficial for selected COVID 19
patients with severe ARDS. However, none of the included studies involve
prospective randomized analyses; and therefore, all the included studies
were of low or moderate quality according to the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.
In the current era and environment of the pandemic, it will likely be
very challenging to conduct a prospective randomized trial of ECMO
versus no-ECMO for COIVID-19. Therefore, the information contained in
this systematic review of the literature is valuable and provides
important guidance.