Endovascular repair as a rescue strategy to restoring the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation flow.

Abstract

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a known complication after myocardial infarction associated with high mortality. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is being successfully used in patients with VSD as a bridge to definitive surgical repair. Although often the only possibility to stabilize hemodynamics and oxygenation, ECMO has many potential complications, carrying significant morbidity and mortality. Here, the patient presented with a postinfarct VSD on peripheral venoarterial ECMO who developed a dissection of the common iliac artery (CIA) on the 5^th day after ECMO implantation. As a result, a sudden drop in ECMO flow has become evident along with high pressures in the arterial cannula. After a definitive diagnosis of a CIA lesion obstructing the blood flow was made, trans-ECMO endovascular repair of CIA was performed. Four days after endovascular repair, we encountered the same problem of decreased blood flow associated with stent kinking and were approached with another endovascular repair to re-establishing full ECMO flow.