Two cases with intra-aortic balloon pumping use for severe septic cardiomyopathy.

Cases: Septic cardiomyopathy is defined as a reversible left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Patients with severe septic cardiomyopathy have a high mortality rate, even if they receive conventional therapy. For those patients, previous reports showed intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) efficacy. We report two rare cases with IABP introduction leading them to drastic improvement, and survival from severe septic cardiomyopathy. Case 1 is a 78-year-old woman diagnosed with renal calculus pyelonephritis, septic shock, and septic cardiomyopathy. Case 2 is a 62-year-old man diagnosed with pneumonia, septic shock, and septic cardiomyopathy.

Outcome: In both cases, despite conventional therapy for cardiomyopathy, including high-dose catecholamine therapy, shock was not reversed, and the IABP was inserted. Circulatory status was improved after the introduction of the IABP.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that an IABP can be useful for salvaging patients with septic cardiomyopathy who do not respond to conventional therapy.