ECMO for TACO Secondary to Massive Post-Cesarean Section Hemorrhage

Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used to treat patients with severe cardiac and/or pulmonary failure. ECMO has been used during pregnancy, at the time of delivery and in the post-partum period with favorable maternal and fetal outcomes.1 In our case, ECMO was initiated intra-operatively during hemorrhagic shock associated with a caesarean delivery, and accompanied by severe pulmonary edema, mitral regurgitation, hypoxia, and cardiac arrest. Research has shown that there is an optimal timing for ECMO initiation. Favorable outcomes are often seen with early initiation.2 This is especially true in pregnancy, when both maternal and fetal health are at stake.2