Successful use of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to lung T transplantation in a patient with pulmonary fibrosis.
As the Japanese organ donor allocation system does not permit the allocation of lungs at a priority level to patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), many of these patients die before suitable donor lungs become available. We report our first experience with ECMO as a bridge to lung transplantation (LTx) from a brain-dead donor. A 40-year-old man with interstitial lung disease who was listed for LTx 3 years previously, experienced progressive deterioration of respiratory function. He was mechanically ventilated at another hospital and was transported to our hospital due to severe hypoxemia. He underwent veno-venous ECMO and was extubated 2 h after the ECMO therapy was initiated. He was conscious, could consume food and liquids, and could exercise normally while awaiting LTx. Lungs from a marginal donor became available on day 18 after ECMO initiation. He was transported to the transplantation center and successfully underwent LTx.
Department of Surgical Intensive Care Medicine, Nippon Medical School Hospital, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan. gabira0517@gmail.com.
Nao
N
Umei
Department of Surgical Intensive Care Medicine, Nippon Medical School Hospital, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan.
Shingo
S
Ichiba
Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Dokkyo Medical University, Mibu, Japan.
Masayuki
M
Chida
D000328:Adult; D015199:Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016040:Lung Transplantation; D008297:Male; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000601:surgery*
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome; Lung transplantation