Artificial organs
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Case Reports
Emergency cardiopulmonary bypass support in patients with cardiac arrest caused by myocardial infarction.
Emergency percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass support (PCPS) was instituted in 3 patients with acute myocardial infarction in cardiac arrest refractory to conventional resuscitation measures. All had severe double or triple vessel disease. Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was performed in 1 patient and PTCA and directional coronary atherectomy (DCA) were performed in the other 2 patients on combined intraaortic balloon pumping (IABP) and PCPS. ⋯ Time on IABP ranged from 10 days to 2 weeks. These 2 patients died of pneumonia or multiorgan failure after 1.5 months. In conclusion, emergency PCPS is a powerful resuscitative tool that may stabilize the condition of patients in cardiac arrest to allow for definitive intervention.