A case of near fatal asthma: The role of ECMO as rescue therapy

Abdulaziz H Alzeer; Hadil A Al Otair; Syed Moazzum Khurshid; Sherif El Badrawy; Bakir M Bakir

doi:10.4103/1817-1737.152461

A case of near fatal asthma: The role of ECMO as rescue therapy

Ann Thorac Med. 2015 Apr-Jun;10(2):143-5. doi: 10.4103/1817-1737.152461.

Authors

Abdulaziz H Alzeer¹, Hadil A Al Otair¹, Syed Moazzum Khurshid¹, Sherif El Badrawy¹, Bakir M Bakir²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Critical Care, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² King Fahad Cardiac Centre, King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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.

Keywords: ECMO; near fatal asthma; rescue therapy.

Publication types

Case Reports