In this episode of *PICU Doc on Call*, Dr. Monica Gray and Dr. Pradip Kamat are joined by fellow Dr. Hope Vancleve to discuss a complex case of a 12-year-old with MRSA septic shock requiring VA ECMO. The conversation covers sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction, including its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. The hosts also explore differential hypoxia, or Harlequin syndrome, a serious VA ECMO complication causing upper body deoxygenation, and discuss monitoring strategies and circuit reconfiguration to prevent cerebral and myocardial ischemia.

Show Highlights:

Clinical case discussion of a 12-year-old male patient with MRSA septic shock.
Complications of sepsis, including sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction and refractory shock.
Management strategies for septic shock, including antibiotic therapy and fluid resuscitation.
Use of venoarterial ECMO support in pediatric patients with severe cardiac dysfunction.
Pathophysiology of sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction and its impact on cardiac function.
Differential hypoxia (North-South syndrome) in patients on femoral VA ECMO.
Diagnostic approaches for sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction, including echocardiography and biomarkers.
Importance of monitoring and managing end-organ function in septic patients.
Strategies for addressing differential hypoxia in ECMO patients, including circuit reconfiguration.
Discussion of the risks and benefits of various ECMO configurations and management techniques.

References:

Fuhrman & Zimmerman - Textbook of Pediatric Critical Care Chapter
Reference 1: Torre DE, Pirri C. Harlequin Syndrome in Venoarterial ECMO and ECPELLA: When ECMO and Native or Impella Circulations Collide - A Comprehensive Review. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2025 Aug 26;26(8):39992. doi: 10.31083/RCM39992. PMID: 40927093; PMCID: PMC12415751.
Reference 2 : Cove ME. Disrupting differential hypoxia in peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Crit Care. 2015 Jul 22;19(1):280. doi: 10.1186/s13054-015-0997-3. PMID: 27391473; PMCID: PMC4511033.

Pink Toes and Blue Brain on VA ECMO (North South Syndrome on ECMO)

PICU Doc On Call

Pink Toes and Blue Brain on VA ECMO (North South Syndrome on ECMO)