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An ongoing outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease (coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) has become a global threat. While clinical reports from China to date demonstrate that the majority of cases remain relatively mild and recover with supportive care, it is also crucial to be well prepared for severe cases warranting intensive care. Initiating appropriate infection control measures may not always be achievable in primary care or in acute-care settings. A 45-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit due to severe pneumonia, later confirmed as COVID-19. His initial evaluation in the resuscitation room and treatments in the intensive care unit was performed under droplet and contact precaution with additional airborne protection using the N95 respirator mask. He was successfully treated in the intensive care unit with mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for respiratory support; and antiretroviral treatment with lopinavir/ritonavir. His total intensive care unit stay was 15 days and was discharged on hospital day 24. Strict infection control precautions are not always an easy task, especially under urgent care in an intensive care unit. However, severe cases of COVID-19 pneumonia, or another novel infectious disease, could present at any moment and would be a continuing challenge to pursue appropriate measures. We need to be well prepared to secure healthcare workers from exposure to infectious diseases and nosocomial spread, as well as to provide necessary intensive care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ECMO has been used as a rescue therapy for severe respiratory failure and ARDS for years and ECMO should also be considered as a rescue therapy for COVID-19 with refractory hypoxemia despite lung-protective ventilation according to WHO. • Although the clinical trials of ECMO for COVID-19 are lacking, its use in COVID-19 might also offer promise based on the previous experience. • In the current situation of pandemic outbreak, many issues of ECMO use deserve our attention. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged since December 2019 in Wuhan city, and has quickly spread throughout China and other countries. To date, no specific treatment has been proven to be effective for SARS-CoV-2 infection. According to World Health Organization (WHO), management of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has mainly focused on infection prevention, case detection and monitoring, and supportive care. Given to the previous experience, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been proven to be an effective therapy in the treatment of respiratory failure or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). On the basis of similar principle, ECMO may be also an effective therapy in the treatment of severe COVID-19. In this study, we described and discussed the clinical outcomes of ECMO for ARDS patients, ECMO use for severe COVID-19 in China, the indications of ECMO use, and some important issues associated with ECMO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]