A Case Report of Prolonged Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in a Child with Severe ARDS Secondary to Miliary Tuberculosis

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), although a common infection in LMIC countries, can rarely lead to severe ARDS, with reported mortality ranging between 22 and 79% in various studies.We report the case of a 15-year-old girl with severe ARDS and severe pulmonary hypertension due to PTB who was initiated on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).She recovered without any major disability after a prolonged ECMO run of 50 days.The ECMO run was challenging due to the development of secondary sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction (MODS).The ECMO should be considered for the management of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with refractory hypoxemia due to severe PTB.Prolonged ECMO run and the corresponding challenges may have to be anticipated in these patients.