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Mechanical bridge to recovery in fulminant myocarditis
S Westaby1, T Katsumata, D Pigott
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford, England. swestaby@ahf.org.uk
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|August 2, 2000
Abstract:
A patient with acute fulminant lymphocytic myocarditis and cardiogenic shock was successfully treated by mechanical off loading of the left ventricle. A nonpulsatile left-heart bypass was undertaken with an implantable centrifugal blood pump. Careful weaning resulted in device removal on the seventh day. Left and right ventricular function is sustained at 7 months. Widespread application of this method depends on the availability of an inexpensive user friendly blood pump, appropriate weaning protocols and emerging strategies to promote sustainable myocardial recovery.