Case report Diffuse coronary artery spasm treated by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Diffuse coronary vasospasm is an unpredictable and serious complication following coronary artery bypass surgery. The treatment of this emergency is dependent on patient suitability for angiography and direct injection of vasodilators into the affected vessels. In patients unable to proceed to angiography the diagnosis can only be suspected but treatment is nevertheless still towards reinstitution of coronary blood flow. We present one such case in which re-grafting and extracorporeal membranous oxygenation proved successful in restoring cardiac function in a patient with diffuse coronary artery spasm. # 2009 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.