Prolonged transcutaneous cardiopulmonary support for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock

Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support can be set up quickly at the bedside and provides reliable temporary mechanical circulatory support for cardiogenic shock patients. This report includes the case of a woman, age 56 years, with postoperative cardiogenic shock due to right heart failure, secondary to severe pulmonary hypertension, after mitral and tricuspid valve replacement. This was accomplished by the use of femoro-femoral Levitronix Centrimag centrifugal pump with membrane oxygenator. Adequate cardiac function returned, and the patient could be successively weaned after 37 days of support. Nitric oxide (NO) and Epoprostenol inhalation were used to enhance weaning from cardiopulmonary support. The patient recovered with ambulatory status and acceptable cardiac performance. The patient died of septicemia on postoperative day 72. In conclusion, this case report describes the safety and reliability of the Levitronix Centrimag centrifugal pump as percutaneous cardiopulmonary support for cardiogenic shock.