title: Leukopheresis therapy for severe infantile pertussis with myocardial and pulmonary failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe an infant with severe pertussis successfully treated with leukopheresis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case report.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pediatric intensive care unit of a children's hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five-wk-old female with pertussis complicated by cardiorespiratory failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single leukopheresis treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Normalization of the white blood cell count and marked cardiorespiratory improvement after treatment; patient survived.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the temporal association between treatment and improvement, we hypothesize that the markedly elevated white blood cell count has a major role in the cardiopulmonary compromise.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Critical Care, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. marek.j.grzeszczak@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Marek J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Grzeszczak
authors.forename: Kevin B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Churchwell
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pietsch
mesh_terms: D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000150:complications*; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007937:Leukapheresis; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000150:complications*; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*