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ECMO as an effective rescue therapeutic for fulminant myocarditis complicated with refractory cardiac arrest
Ya-Ting Li1, Li-Fen Yang1, Zhuang-Gui Chen1
1Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou.
Insights
Fulminant myocarditis (FM) is a severe pediatric condition. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) effectively rescued a child with refractory cardiac arrest from FM.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Critical Care Medicine
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Fulminant myocarditis (FM) presents as a life-threatening pediatric illness.
- Rapid deterioration leading to cardiorespiratory failure is characteristic of FM, often resistant to standard treatments.
Observation:
- A 9-year-old girl with FM developed cardiogenic shock, malignant arrhythmia, and refractory cardiac arrest.
- Despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation and therapeutic hypothermia, the patient experienced pulseless ventricular tachycardia and cardiac arrest.
Findings:
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was initiated after the failure of conventional resuscitation.
- The patient achieved spontaneous circulation and recovered with preserved cardiac and neurocognitive functions after 221 hours of ECMO support.
Implications:
- ECMO serves as a critical rescue therapy for pediatric fulminant myocarditis.
- This case highlights ECMO's efficacy in managing refractory cardiac arrest secondary to FM.
Abstract:
Fulminant myocarditis (FM) is a life-threatening disease in children. With a rapid, progressive course of deterioration, it causes refractory cardiorespiratory failure even with optimal clinical intervention. We present the case of a 9-year-old girl with FM complicated by cardiogenic shock, malignant arrhythmia, and refractory cardiac arrest. She received effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation, therapeutic hypothermia, and other supportive treatments. However, the patient rapidly worsened into pulseless ventricular tachycardia and refractory cardiac arrest. Therefore, we performed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to establish spontaneous circulation after the failure of standard resuscitation measures. The girl recovered with intact cardiac and neurocognitive functions after continued ECMO treatment for 221 hours. Therefore, ECMO is an effective rescue therapeutics for FM, especially when complicated with refractory cardiac arrest.
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