Disclaimer: This is an updated guideline from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) for the role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The great majority of COVID-19 patients (>90%) requiring ECMO have been supported using venovenous (V-V) ECMO for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). While COVID-19 ECMO run duration may be longer than in non-COVID-19 ECMO patients, published mortality appears to be similar between the two groups. However, data collection is ongoing, and there is a signal that overall mortality may be increasing. Conventional selection criteria for COVID-19–related ECMO should be used; however, when resources become more constrained during a pandemic, more stringent contraindications should be implemented. Formation of regional ECMO referral networks may facilitate communication, resource sharing, expedited patient referral, and mobile ECMO retrieval. There are no data to suggest deviation from conventional ECMO device or patient management when applying ECMO for COVID-19 patients. Rarely, children may require ECMO support for COVID-19–related ARDS, myocarditis, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C); conventional selection criteria and management practices should be the standard. We strongly encourage participation in data submission to investigate the optimal use of ECMO for COVID-19.

Clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) when COVID-19 disease is suspected: Interim guidance recent multivariable analysis confirmed older age, higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and d-dimer > 1 µg/L on admission were associated with higher mortality. This study also observed a median duration of viral RNA detection of 20.0 days (IQR 17.0-24.0) in survivors, but COVID-19 virus was detectable until death in non-survivors. The longest observed duration of viral shedding in survivors was 37 days (3,4).Building on evidence-informed guidelines developed by a multidisciplinary panel of health care providers with experience in the clinical management of patients with COVID-19 and other viral infections, including SARS and MERS, as well as sepsis and ARDS, this guidance should serve as a foundation for optimized supportive care to ensure the best possible chance for survival and to allow for reliable comparison of investigational therapeutic interventions as part of randomized controlled trials (5,6).There are few data on the clinical presentation of COVID-19 in specific populations, such as children and pregnant women. In children with COVID-19 the symptoms are usually less severe than adults and present mainly with cough and fever, and coinfection has been observed (7, 8). Relatively few cases have been reported of infants confirmed with COVID-19; those experienced mild illness (9). There is currently no known difference between the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 pregnant and non-pregnant women or adults of reproductive age. Pregnant and recently pregnant women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be treated with supportive and management therapies, as described below, taking into account the immunologic and physiologic adaptations during and after pregnancy. * See Global Surveillance for human infection with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for latest case definitions.

The use of social media as a tool for professional communication and education in healthcare has been increasing; pros and cons of such platforms were extensively debated in recent years with mixed results. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media use has accelerated to the point of becoming a ubiquitous part of modern healthcare systems. As with any tool in healthcare, its risks and benefits need to be carefully considered. In this article, we review the use of social media in the current pandemic. Importantly, we will illustrate this using experiences from the perspective of large medical organisations and also identify the common pitfalls.

Disclaimer: This guideline describes the ECMO circuit for all patient populations. These guidelines describe safe practice based on extensive experience and are considered consensus guidelines. These guidelines are not intended to define standard of care and are revised at regular intervals as new information, devices, medications, and techniques become available.