Spontaneous, Postpartum Coronary Artery Dissection and Cardiogenic Shock with Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Assisted Recovery in a 30-Year-Old Patient

Abstract

Coronary artery dissection is an infrequent cause of acute coronary syndrome in the general population. There is, however, a greater incidence of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) in young women, especially in the peripartum period. However, the majority of cases have favorable outcomes with medical management or percutaneous coronary intervention; coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and transplantation are utilized in severe cases. This case is a one of a 30-year-old postpartum female with multivessel SCAD requiring CABG with subsequent biventricular failure and inability to wean from bypass. We believe this is the first reported case in which venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) was used in the management of biventricular heart failure in a postpartum patient with SCAD.