The successful use of extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation as rescue therapy for unilateral pulmonary edema following minimally invasive mitral valve surgery

Abstract

Unilateral right pulmonary edema has been reported as a potential life-threatening complication after minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. Nearly 2% of these cases in the immediate postoperative period have been reported to require extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation support as a rescue therapy for severe hypoxia. The exact pathophysiology of this condition remains unclear, but has been assumed to be related to ischemia–reperfusion injury and re-expansion pulmonary edema. We present in this report the successful use of extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation to manage two cases of severe hypoxia and multiorgan dysfunction secondary to unilateral right pulmonary edema.