title: A case of near fatal asthma: The role of ECMO as rescue therapy.
abstract: We report a case of an adolescent with near fatal asthma (NFA). He presented with severe hypoxemia and lifethreatening acidemia, who failed to respond to conventional therapy. His hospital course was complicated by barotrauma and hemodynamic instability. Early introduction of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) led to dramatic improvement in gas exchange and lung mechanics. This case illustrates the important role of ECMO as salvage therapy in NFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdulaziz H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Alzeer
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hadil A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Al Otair
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Syed Moazzum
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Khurshid
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Sherif El
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Badrawy
authors.affiliation: King Fahad Cardiac Centre, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Bakir M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Bakir
keywords: ECMO; near fatal asthma; rescue therapy
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