• Sameer K Avasarala, Muhammad R Qureshi, Madeline Waldron, Sudipto Mukherjee, and Anita J Reddy.
• 1 Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
• J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2019 Sep 1; 25 (6): 1491-1496.

BackgroundAcute respiratory failure is a leading cause of intensive care unit admission in patients with hematological malignancies; it carries a mortality rate exceeding 50%. Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use in patients with acute hematologic malignancies concurrently receiving induction chemotherapy is not well studied.Case PresentationA 44-year-old male developed acute respiratory distress syndrome in the setting of newly diagnosed acute myelogenous leukemia. He underwent successful induction chemotherapy while on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. His course was complicated by a devastating subarachnoid hemorrhage. Life support modalities were discontinued in accordance to the wishes of the family.ConclusionThere is a lack of data to guide use of induction chemotherapy in patients with acute hematologic malignancies requiring venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, particularly with regard to dosing, safety, and efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. This case highlights a potential role of venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in select young acute myelogenous leukemia patients who might benefit from this intervention and warrants further research.

24 keywords...

hide…