An 18-Year-Old Survivor With a Body Mass Index of 73.9\u2009kg/m2 on Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Collaborative Multidisciplinary Effort

Abstract

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 demonstrates greater sickness in people with obesity, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation rescue is increasingly being used in this patient population. An appropriate body mass index threshold where the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for this viral syndrome would not be a useful therapy remains unknown and matter of ongoing debate. Case: We describe a case of acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 infection in setting of super morbid obesity (body mass index 73.9\u2009kg/m2) with the successful use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. To our knowledge, this is the heaviest patient to survive coronavirus disease 2019 with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation so far. Conclusions: While extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in obese patients must be carefully considered in coronavirus disease 2019 acute respiratory distress syndrome, a multidisciplinary care team effort is a requisite for a successful outcome in case like ours.