Alveolar hemorrhage after percutaneous cardiopulmonary support in a patient with fulminant myocarditis: report of two cases

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is the treatment of choice for profound shock that is refractory to medical treatment. Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) is preferred as the MCS for fulminant myocarditis because it is cheaper than VAD and it can be easily applied percutaneously at bedside, but it has many kinds of mechanical problems and patient complications, including pulmonary hemorrhage. We experienced two patients who were diagnosed with fulminant myocarditis along with cardiogenic shock, and they recovered by pharmacologic therapy and PCPS. Several days after wearing from PCPS, they presented with hemoptysis and bilateral lung infiltrates. By performing bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), we confirmed the presence of diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH). They recovered from those events spontaneously with only supportive care and without any steroid therapy.(Korean J Med 71:S1003-S1007, 2006)