title: Successfully treated severe obstetric sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
abstract: We report a unique clinical case about an 18-year-old woman, immediately post-partum after an urgent C-section, who survived severe sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and was successfully treated with 11 different antibiotics, massive blood transfusions and repetitive surgeries and was on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for 22 days. Although, ECMO is a time-limited procedure and most manufacturers do not advise more than 14 days of use, the situation for this patient was life-threatening and ECMO, despite the dangerous risks listed above, was the only way to win time for the lungs to recover and for treatment of the underlying disease, while maintaining adequate oxygenation and circulation. Fortunately, the condition of this woman was stabilized and she achieved complete physical recovery, despite minor neurological deficit in the fingers of her right hand.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Rimantas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benetis
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Ruta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nadisauskiene
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Edmundas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sirvinskas
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania Department of Anaesthesiology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Tadas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lenkutis
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Adakrius
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siudikas
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania vkadusauskaite@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vytaute
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kadusauskaitė
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Dalia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Railaitė
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Arturas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sukovas
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Vytautas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Abraitis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: ARDS; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; obstetric; respiratory failure; sepsis