Biopsy-Proven Fulminant Myocarditis Requiring Mechanical Circulatory Support Following COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination

Shingo Kazama1, Takahiro Okumura1, Yuki Kimura1

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.

CJC Open
|February 21, 2022
PubMed

A 48-year-old woman suffered from cardiogenic shock with fulminant myocarditis following the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273). Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and Impella support were essential in achieving hemodynamic stability. Endomyocardial biopsy revealed lymphocytic infiltration with predominant immunostaining for CD8- and CD68-positive cells. The left ventricular ejection fraction improved significantly after treatment with mechanical circulatory support. Myocarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination may also occur in middle-aged women; it may be fulminant and require mechanical circulatory support. Although our results suggest the involvement of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and macrophages, further investigation is needed before these can be established as pathogenetic mechanisms.

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