CASE STUDY | OPEN ACCESSDOI: 10.23937/2474-3674/1510087
Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in a 36-Year-Old Man with Viral Myocarditis Who Survived Prolonged Cardiac Arrest and Bedside Decompressive Laparotomy Neurologically Intact
Elizabeth K Powell, MD1*, Gretchen A Lemmink, MD2, Joshua T Trester, MD2 and Louis B Louis IV, MD3
1Critical Care Fellow, Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Critical Care, University of Cincinnati, USA
2Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Critical Care, University of Cincinnati, USA
3Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Cincinnati, USA
Abstract
We report a case of prolonged cardiac arrest in a patient with viral myocarditis who was subsequently cannulated for veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) while in cardiac arrest. The patient developed bowel ischemia and abdominal compartment syndrome on ECMO and required a bedside decompressive laparotomy and hemicolectomy. This case demonstrates that prolonged downtime with high quality CPR and potential ischemic complications of VA-ECMO should not preclude ongoing resuscitation and treatment as favorable neurologic outcome is still possible.