A successful extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for severe status asthmaticus with an ultra-long cardiac arrest.

The mortality of severe asthma with cardiac arrest is still close to 100% even if it is treated with conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CCPR). Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) has been widely accepted as an alternative method when CCPR is futile. However, the maximum "low-flow" duration has not been well defined. Here, we reported a 55-year-old male with severe asthma with cardiac arrest, who was successfully treated with ECPR after 100 min of ultra-long CCPR. He was withdrawn from extracorporeal membrane oxygenator and ventilator at 72 h and 14 days after admission respectively and was discharged without permanent neurologic sequelae. This case illustrates the critical role of ECPR as a last resort in near-fatal asthma. For such patients with bystander, starting ECPR after >60 min of CCPR can still obtain satisfactory prognoses.