ECMO after prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a successful bridge to immediate cardiac retransplant in a 6-year-old girl

Exp Clin Transplant. 2012 Apr;10(2):186-9. doi: 10.6002/ect.2011.0131.

Abstract

Heart failure, life-threatening arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death are common complications in patients with advanced chronic cardiac allograft rejection--the major limiting factor of long-term survival after heart transplant. In patients with sustained cardiorespiratory arrest refractory to cardiopulmonary resuscitation extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy is a therapeutic option. We report the case of a 6-year-old girl with severe chronic allograft vasculopathy who was successfully bridged to cardiac retransplant through extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy after prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Our case demonstrates extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a rescuing therapeutic option in high-risk, bridge-to-transplant patients, with cardiac arrest. Even after prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation, there were no neurologic events, and our patient recovered without any neurologic damage.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation*
  • Child
  • Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation / methods*
  • Female
  • Heart Failure / surgery*
  • Heart Failure / therapy*
  • Heart Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Humans
  • Reoperation
  • Transplantation, Homologous