Early mechanical circulatory support helps save lives and prevent multi-organ failures in patients with fulminant myocarditis, allowing them to recover and return to normal life.
Does mechanical circulatory support improve survival and recovery in patients with fulminant myocarditis?
Early and aggressive mechanical circulatory support is crucial for survival and recovery in patients with fulminant myocarditis, who generally have an excellent long-term prognosis once the acute phase is overcome.
Background and Objectives：Although fulminant myocarditis (FM) is known as a fatal disease, once patients have recovered, with aggressive pharmacologic therapy and/or mechanical circulatory supports (MCS), including intra-aortic pump, temporary ventricular assist device and percutaneous cardiopulmonary support, they may return to normal life with an excellent long-term prognosis. Elevated C-reactive protein, Creatinine phosphokinase and cytokine concentrations, decreased left ventricular ejection fraction and intraventricular conduction disturbances on admission may predict the progress of acute myocarditis to fulminant course. Early MCS helps save life and prevent multi-organ failures in patients with FM. The type of MCS may not affect the outcome of the clinical course when its complications are managed properly. Since other managements with immunoglobulin, antiviral agent or monoclonal antibody remain to be confirmed, aggressive hemodynamic support with MCS is the best management for patients with FM, who once recovered from the acute phase can return to normal life. (Korean Circulation J 2005;35:563-572)
Park et al. (Sat,) conducted a review in Fulminant Myocarditis. Mechanical Circulatory Supports (MCS) was evaluated. Early mechanical circulatory support helps save lives and prevent multi-organ failures in patients with fulminant myocarditis, allowing them to recover and return to normal life.