Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with prone position ventilation successfully rescues infantile pertussis: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND: Bordetella pertussis can cause fatal illness with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary hypertension (PHT). CASE PRESENTATION: A 6-month-old non-vaccinated boy with B. pertussis infection who developed ARDS was treated by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). During his ECMO support stage, sudden occurred decreasing of ECMO flow implied increasing intrathoracic pressure. The airway spasm followed caused sudden drop of ventilator tidal volume as well as poor lung compliance. Prone position ventilation and bundle care were conducted as lung protection ventilator strategy. After 297-h of ECMO support, the patient was weaned off ECMO, and extubated one week later. CONCLUSIONS: In this patient with severe ARDS caused by Bordetella pertussis, ECMO was performed for cardiopulmonary support and rescued the infant with severe pertussis. During ECMO support period, prone position ventilation and care bundle nursing strategy contributed to the relief of continuous airway spasm. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12887-018-1351-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.