Abstract

When all the conventional treatments have failed for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can offer these patients a chance to survive. We report here on a case of successful treatment with prolonged ECMO support for a patient with severe ARDS. A 41-year-old female patient with acute A-viral hepatitis developed pneumonia and progressive ARDS. After tracheostomy, her clinical condition deteriorated despite proper antibiotic administration and other conventional treatments, including the recruitment maneuver and steroid use. Venoarterial ECMO was given for the management of refractory hypoxemia that developed 14 days after the initiation of mechanical ventilation. The duration of ECMO support was 4 weeks, and she was successfully weaned off ECMO and mechanical ventilation.

• Keywords: acute respiratory distress syndrome;extracorporeal membrane oxygenation;intensive care;