EXTRACORPOREAL LIFE SUPPORT FOR STATUS ASTHMATICUS

Purpose of the Study. This report presents the experience with one case of status asthmaticus who failed to respond to mechanical ventilation and was successfully managed with extracorporeal life support (ECLS) using venovenous bypass. The purpose is to inform the practitioner of an additional therapy, potentially of benefit, in management of asthma complicated by treatment-resistant respiratory failure. Methods. Low volume venovenous bypass with extracorporeal life support resolved severe respiratory failure in a 23-year-old female asthmatic over a 22-hour period after failure of 5 hours of mechanical ventilation. Bypass was initiated remotely by an ECLS team using a portable ECLS circuit before the 180-mile transport to the "nearby" center. Details of the technique are presented. Conclusion and Reviewer's Comments. This may be the first instance where asthma was the primary indication for ECLS; other asthmatics have been so treated, but for other complicating conditions like pneumonia and adult respiratory distress syndrome. This report provides a further alternative therapy, even in somewhat remote areas, for asthma-caused respiratory failure.