%0 Journal Article
%T Inferior vena cava stenosis after heart transplant: a rare cause of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation weaning failure
%A Flavie Lavigne
%A Jean-Luc Fellahi
%A Matthias Jacquet-Lagreze
%A Philippe Portran
%J Perfusion
%@ 1477-111X
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0267659118808731
%X The discontinuation of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) is a critical step in patient recovery. To reduce risks, weaning trials must be performed to buttress this important decision. However, a successful weaning trial does not preclude the possibility of complications. Here, we report a case of sudden multiple organ failure in a heart transplant patient, occurring after a successful ECMO weaning trial. We finally diagnosed a rare post-surgical complication of bicaval orthotopic heart transplantation, a severe stenosis of the inferior vena cava (IVC) that had been masked by the post-operative ECMO. Our case report should serve as a cautionary tale: it may be of interest to add a search for complications at the vascular anastomoses to the weaning trial procedure and to keep an eye out for them in the following days
%K cardiac transplantation
%K extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
%K weaning
%K cardiac surgery
%K multiple organ failure
%K primary graft dysfunction
%K inferior vena cava
%K stenosis
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0267659118808731