Eschertzhuber S, Velik-Salchner C, Hoermann C, Hoefer D, Lass-Florl C
Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria.
Transpl Infect Dis. 2008 Jun;10(3):190-2. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3062.2007.00252.x. Epub 2007 Jul 1.
Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a severe complication in the post-transplant period in recipients of solid organs. Therefore, early diagnosis and specific therapy of fungal infections in these patients are indispensable. We report the case of a 49-year-old patient, who suffered from IA after cardiac transplantation, which was complicated by post-transplant right heart failure requiring mechanical circulatory support using veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and a right ventricular assist device. Despite antifungal treatment, the patient died 3 weeks after transplantation because of multi-organ failure secondary to IA. The isolated Aspergillus strains exhibited in vitro resistance to caspofungin.