Successful VV-ECMO Support in a Patient with a Challenging Diagnosis of Miliary Tuberculosis |Biomedgrid

Experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in tuberculosis is scarce. We report the case of a 46-year-old woman with miliary tuberculosis successfully rescued with a short course of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). Seven days after admission due to fever and hypoxemic respiratory failure, multifactorial progressive deterioration of gas exchange led to ICU admission and decision to intubate. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified after repeated bronchoalveolar lavage sampling. Respiratory failure progressed and she evolved with shock. VV-ECMO support and anti-bacillary drugs were started. Patient was weaned from ECMO after 3 days, extubated at day 9 and discharged from hospital at day 38. ECMO may be a support option for severe respiratory failure due to tuberculosis, when invasive positive-pressure ventilation fails.