Comparison of post-discharge mortality and medical expenditures in COVID-19 patients according to mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use: The LIFE study

Jun Kawabata, Kenichi Goto, Megumi Maeda and Haruhisa Fukuda

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Outcomes related to health status and economic burden among patients who experienced critical COVID-19 remain insufficiently studied. We examined 180-day post-discharge mortality and total medical expenditures in COVID-19 patients according to their use of mechanical ventilation (MV) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) during hospitalization. Using medical claims data from a Japanese municipality, this retrospective cohort study analyzed hospitalized COVID-19 patients who were discharged between April 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021. Patients were categorized into an MV/ECMO group (indicating severe disease) or a non-MV/ECMO group. Their differences in mortality and expenditures were compared using the χ2 test and Mann–Whitney U test, respectively. A Cox regression analysis was performed to calculate the hazard ratios of MV/ECMO use for mortality, and a generalized linear model with gamma distribution was constructed to examine the association between MV/ECMO use and expenditures. The covariates included age, sex, comorbidities, and length of stay. The MV/ECMO group had significantly higher mortality (16.0% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.002) and expenditures ($8,732 vs. $3,460, p

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0345939

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0345939

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