Case report: Extracorporeal life support for treatment of fulminant pulmonary embolism in a young woman during pregnancy

During pregnancy, prothrombotic changes of the coagulation system are associated with an increased risk for thrombotic events such as deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism. We report the case of a thirty-one year old woman, who suffered severe pulmonary embolism with cardiogenic shock during pregnancy. Systemic fibrinolysis failed to improve hemodynamic deterioration. Finally, insertion of an extracorporeal life support system with subsequent pulmonary thromboendarterectomysaved the life of the patient.