SECCE societal positioning
As per issued societal recommendations (21) Cardiovascular Surgery
services, in conjunction with Intensive Care, could offer specialized
care at the highest level through the use of temporary mechanical
support (V-V and V-A ECMO) in COVID-19 patients with severe adult
respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or cardiomyopathy refractory to the
conventional treatment. With this official positioning, the medical
attention to the critically ill patients took precedence over possible
concerns about the suitability of the therapy in this disease.
More specifically, it was recommended:
• Adaptation of the different ECMO programs for their priority use in
the pandemic, also guaranteeing adequate health care in the reference
area.
• To establish criteria for ECMO support and the exclusion and
contraindication criteria for COVID-19 patients.
• To restrict the number of ECMO-involved professionals to the minimum
necessary.
• To enroll patients in the ECMO-COVID-19 Registry specifically created
by the SECCE.
The different ECMO groups were organized to offer the assistance
required at all times according to the impact of the pandemic and
availability of resources.