Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridge to Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy for Severe Refractory Sepsis in the Setting of Relapsed Refractory Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Case Report

Pediatric oncology patients with sepsis are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality compared with pediatric patients without malignancy. Historically, patients with relapsed and/or refractory disease were not considered candidates for aggressive life support strategies including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. CASE SUMMARY: We report a 4-year-old female with relapsed refractory pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia preparing for chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy with tisagenlecleucel who was admitted with fever and neutropenia. She progressed to refractory septic shock secondary to Escherichia coli bacteremia and required escalation of hemodynamic support to venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation. She cleared her E. coli bacteremia, was decannulated, subsequently received her chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and was declared disease free 1 month from her initial presentation. CONCLUSION: The ability to provide chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy at designated institutions can augment extracorporeal membrane oxygenation candidacy discussions in oncology patients with relapsed disease and may make extracorporeal membrane oxygenation candidacy for oncology patients with refractory sepsis more favorable.