MECHANICAL VENTILATION AND EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION CONSIDERATIONS IN COVID-19

Course overview

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) DECLARED COVID-19 A GLOBAL PANDEMIC ON MARCH 11, 2020. DUE TO ITS HIGH VIRULENCE, THE VIRUS HAS WREAKED HAVOC ON COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE, WITH AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF INFECTIONS FOLLOWING OUTBREAKS. THIS HAS LED TO A NEAR-COLLAPSE OF THE HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE IN SOME COUNTRIES. WITH THE ADVENT OF A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DISEASE PROCESS, EFFICIENT GOAL-DIRECTED MANAGEMENT OF SEVERE COVID-19 WITH ACUTE RESPIRATORY FAILURE NEEDING MECHANICAL VENTILATION (IMV) WITH OR WITHOUT EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION (ECMO) HAS BECOME THE NEED OF THE HOUR. THIS ACTIVITY ILLUSTRATES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF SEVERE COVID-19 REQUIRING IMV WITH OR WITHOUT ECMO AND EXPLAINS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN MANAGING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.