Journal of medical case reports
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Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants, including dabigatran, are currently widely used for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Recently, idarucizumab, a monoclonal antibody fragment for immediate reversal of dabigatran-induced anticoagulation, has been introduced into the market to be used in life-threatening bleeding or urgent surgery, allowing for rapid normalization of clotting parameters. The use of idarucizumab is not yet well established in patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke on dabigatran who are candidates for thrombolytic therapy. ⋯ Our case report adds to the evidence that idarucizumab administration is safe in the setting of patients with atrial fibrillation treated with dabigatran who develop acute ischemic stroke requiring thrombolysis.
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Case Reports
Successful long-term extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis: a case report.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is an established life-saving procedure for severe acute respiratory failure due to various causes. In general, the duration of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ranges from 1 to 2 weeks, with withdrawal recommended if no improvement is noted. We report a successful case of long-term extracorporeal membrane oxygenation management for respiratory failure due to invasive pulmonary Aspergillus infection. ⋯ Long-term extracorporeal membrane oxygenation might be considered if the primary causes of respiratory failure necessitating extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be expected to be resolved, such as in the case of effective antimicrobial therapy for a definite pathogen. Our case indicates that extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can be used during treatment of respiratory failure due to invasive aspergillosis for the recommended treatment duration of 4 to 8 weeks.