Patients with pH1N1 viral infection can present with profound heart failure and respiratory failure, for which extracorporeal membrane oxygenation may be an important management strategy.
ECMO may warrant consideration in severe pH1N1 cardiomyopathy; single case leaves open need for prospective validation.
OBJECTIVE: To report a case of pH1N1 viral infection presenting as heart failure requiring mechanical extracorporeal life support. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Pediatric intensive care unit at a regional children's hospital. PATIENT: Obese 15-yr-old boy who presented with pH1N1-related cardiomyopathy and respiratory failure that required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. INTERVENTIONS: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, echocardiography, high-frequency oscillating ventilation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Discovery of severe dilated cardiomyopathy and respiratory failure. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with pH1N1 may present in profound heart failure in addition to respiratory failure. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation may play an important role in managing these complex patients.
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Subramanian et al. (2010) studied this question.
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