Artificial organs
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A 39-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of chest pain and was diagnosed with severe heart failure due to viral myocarditis. Intraaortic balloon pumping (IABP) and cardiac extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) were employed. ⋯ Two days later, the blood flow was reversed from the thoracic to abdominal aorta; the natural flow was strengthened because the native heart had improved. The observation of this phenomenon is helpful for determining the recovery of cardiac function under cardiac ECMO support.