Table 1.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria	Exclusion criteria
≥ 18 years of age	< 18 years of age
The ability to understand and sign the informed consent (in case of unconsciousness consent is obtained from the next of kin)	History of chronic pulmonary disease with PaCO2 > 50 mmHg or history of using oxygen at home
Evidence of pneumonia by chest CT-scans and/or confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 by qRT-PCR	Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Bilateral opacity of the lungs on CT scan	History of pulmonary embolism or DVT in the past three months
Requires mechanical ventilation to increase oxygen saturation	History of lung transplantation
PaO2/FiO2 ratio ≤ 200	Existence of active malignancy that has been treated for the past two years
	More than 96 h have passed since the diagnosis of ARDS (the Berlin definition of ARDS)
	Moderate to severe liver failure (Childs-Pugh Score > 12)
	Extensive trauma in the last 5 days
	Existence of severe and irreversible disease with a probability of life expectancy of fewer than 6 months