Salvage of postoperative pulmonary hypertensive crisis using ECMO via cervical cannulation in a case of truncus...

The survival of patients with truncus arteriosus beyond one year of age is rare without surgical treatment [3 . Early surgery may be associated with a mortality but is still preferable, as the risks of established pulmonary hypertensive disease complicate delayed surgery [2]. We report the successful salvage of a pulmonary hypertensive crisis 24 h after corrective surgery in a late presenting patient using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) via cervical cannulation. Post-operative pulmonary hypertensive crises may present a difficult management problem. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is therapeutic in these circumstances in addition to providing life support. Cervical cannulation remains the method of choice in the postoperative cardiac patient.