Arthur Pavot, Jihad Mallat, Nicolas Vangrunderbeeck, Didier Thevenin, Malcolm Lemyze
Medicine 2017 OctMechanical ventilation of severe acute asthma is still considered a challenging issue, mainly because of the gas trapping phenomenon with the potential for life-threatening barotraumatic pulmonary complications. Herein, we describe 2 consecutive cases of near-fatal asthma for whom the recommended protective mechanical ventilation approach using low tidal volume of 6 mL/kg and small levels of PEEP was rapidly compromised by giant pneumomediastinum with extensive subcutaneousemphysema. Near fatal asthma. A rescue therapeutic strategy combining extracorporeal CO2 removal membrane with ultra-protective extremely low tidal volume (3 mL/kg) ventilation was applied. Both patients survived hospital discharge. These 2 cases indicate that ECCO2R associated with ultra-protective ventilation could be an alternative to surgery in case of life-threatening barotrauma occurring under mechanical ventilation.
Arthur Pavot, Jihad Mallat, Nicolas Vangrunderbeeck, Didier Thevenin, Malcolm Lemyze. Rescue therapeutic strategy combining ultra-protective mechanical ventilation with extracorporeal CO2 removal membrane in near-fatal asthma with severe pulmonary barotraumas: A case report. Medicine. 2017 Oct;96(41):e8248
PMID: 29019893
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