Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a rescue of intractable ventricular fibrillation and bridge to heart transplantation.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) systems have undergone rapid technological improvements and are now feasible options for medium-term support of severe cardiac or pulmonary failure. Intractable ventricular arrhythmia is a rare but well-established indication for heart transplantation. We report a case of persistent ventricular fibrillation (VF) that was rescued by insertion of peripheral veno-arterial ECMO during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which provided support for 30 h of continuous VF and subsequently permitted urgent heart transplantation.
Fux
Thomas
T
Department of Cardiology, Section for Heart Failure, Karolinska University Hospital, N305, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden.
Svenarud
Peter
P
Grinnemo
Karl-Henrik
KH
Albåge
Anders
A
Bredin
Fredrik
F
van der Linden
Jan
J
Hagerman
Inger
I
Gabrielsen
Anders
A
Lund
Lars H
LH
D000328:Adult; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000628:therapy*