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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Standardized Model of Ventricular Fibrillation and Advanced Cardiac Life Support in Swine
Published on: January 30, 2020
Use of ECMO to temporize circulatory instability during severe Brugada electrical storm
Paul S Pagel1, R Eric Lilly, Alfred C Nicolosi
1Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. pspagel@mcw.edu
Abstract:
We describe the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to temporize circulatory instability during almost incessant ventricular fibrillation in a patient with Brugada syndrome who had electively discontinued chronic amiodarone therapy. The extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was continued for 3 days after emergent delivery of the neonate, during which time the number of ventricular fibrillation episodes and internal defibrillations markedly decreased concomitant with administration of intravenous amiodarone and verapamil. Oral anti-arrhythmic therapy was subsequently reinstituted, and the remainder of the patient's hospital course was uneventful.
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