Acute respiratory distress syndrome following breast augmentation managed by delayed veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

The initiation of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) has been opposed in late-phase acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to an increase in mortality. Herewith an individual case of a 20-year-old female who survived severe ARDS after breast augmentation is reported, whose delayed transfer to our tertiary referral center led to a late initiation of VV-ECMO and multiple mechanical ventilation-associated complications. Nonetheless, her VV-ECMO was decannulated after 45 days of ARDS onset, considering an awake ECMO strategy possibly contributing to her positive outcome.