Psychosocial outcome of Covid-19 patients requiring ventilation after ECMO versus long-term mechanical ventilation

Abstract

Abstract Background Severe COVID-19 frequently necessitates prolonged intensive care treatment, including long-term mechanical ventilation (MV) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). While survival outcomes of these modalities have been extensively studied, data on long-term psychological sequelae remain limited. This study compared psychosocial outcomes in COVID-19 ICU survivors treated with ECMO versus prolonged MV alone. Materials and Methods In this exploratory single-centre study combined retrospective clinical data with prospective long-term psychosocial follow-up, 150 adult patients with severe COVID-19 treated between March 2020 and December 2021 were included (ECMO: n = 98; MV: n = 52). Clinical data were collected retrospectively. The primary outcome of the study was long-term psychosocial outcome, which was assessed prospectively using validated questionnaires for depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, attachment-related anxiety and avoidance, and health-related quality of life during structured long-term follow-up after ICU discharge.Results ECMO patients were significantly younger (mean 53.8 vs. 66.0 years; p < 0.001) and required longer invasive ventilation (29.3 vs. 13.3 days; p = 0.011). Among survivors completing long-term follow-up, substantial psychological morbidity was observed in both treatment groups, with differences in attachment-related anxiety and numerically higher depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms depending on ventilation strategy. Multivariate Cox regression identified older age, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the need for hemodialysis as independent predictors of mortality A total of 29 survivors (ECMO: n = 16; MV: n = 13) completed psychological follow-up assessments. The observed pattern of higher depressive and trauma-related symptom burden among ECMO survivors may reflect the cumulative psychological impact of prolonged life-support, high perceived threat to life, and prolonged dependency during critical illness rather than a direct effect of ECMO itself. Survival did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusion Survivors of severe COVID-19 requiring either ECMO or prolonged mechanical ventilation exhibit a substantial long-term psychological burden. Distinct psychosocial profiles were observed between treatment modalities, with higher attachment-related anxiety among MV survivors and numerically greater depressive and trauma-related symptoms among ECMO survivors. These findings highlight the importance of systematic post-ICU psychological screening and the integration of psychosocial outcomes into long-term critical care follow-up.