Successful treatment of panton-valentine leukocidin-expressing staphylococcus aureus-Associated pneumonia co-infected with influenza using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Background: Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) is a cytotoxin that causes leukocyte destruction and lung necrosis. Managing respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to PVL-expressing Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia and its associated lung necrosis with mechanical ventilation is challenging. We report a patient with lifethreatening PVL-expressing S. aureus-Associated pneumonia who was rescued using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Case Report: We examined the case of a woman who presented to our Emergency Department with septic shock due to PVL-expressing S. aureus-Associated pneumonia. A 27-yearold Filipino woman was transferred to our hospital due to severe dyspnea, hemosputum, and high-grade fever. She had a medical history of osteosarcoma of the leg and hyperthyroidism. On arrival, her vital signs indicated septic shock, with a white blood cell count of 3.5×10³/μl. Because a Gram stain of her sputum indicated SA, therapy with antibiotics, including meropenem and vancomycin, was started. Hypoxemia necessitated intubation and ventilation. Because the patient's PaO₂/FiO₂ remained less than 60 mmHg and her blood pressure was unstable despite aggressive conventional management, venoarterial ECMO was administered approximately 11 h after her arrival. The ECMO circuit was changed to veno-venous ECMO on day 7 and the patient was successfully weaned off ECMO after 12 days of treatment. She was discharged from the hospital 104 days after admission. Conclusion: This case demonstrates that early induction of ECMO support can be a reasonable therapeutic option for PVL-S. aureus-Associated pneumonia. This patient's successful outcome might be attributable to early establishment of ECMO to prevent ventilation-induced lung injury.