ARDS is a severe disease with a high mortality rate despite ECLS therapy. Although endpoints and timing of the evaluations differed from those of the CESAR and EOLIA studies and the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Registry, the reported mortality in these studies was lower than in the present analysis.

Further prospective analyses are necessary to evaluate outcomes in ECMO therapy at the centre volume level.

In total, 45,647 hospitalized patients treated with ECLS were analysed. In Germany, 231 hospitals provided ECLS therapy, with a median of 4 VV-ECMO and 9 VA-ECMO in 2018.

Overall hospital mortality remained higher than predicted in comparison to the values reported in the literature.

Inpatient data from Germany from 2007 to 2018 provided by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany were analysed.

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