Venoarterial-extra corporeal membrane oxygenation-assisted parathyroidectomy for hypercalcemic crisis due to parathyroid carcinoma complicated by severe circulatory and respiratory failure: a case report

Abstract

Hypercalcemia crisis is a rare but severe form of hypercalcemia complicated by multiple organ failure. The most common cause of hypercalcemia crisis is primary hyperparathyroidism caused by a parathyroid tumor, which often requires surgical resection [1]. However, there are no clear recommendations on when the surgery should be performed. Although there have been case reports of venoarterial-extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support after cardiac arrest due to hypercalcemia crisis [2], there have been no reports of prophylactic VA-ECMO for circulatory and respiratory failure during surgical treatment of hypercalcemia crisis. In this report, we describe a case in which prophylactic VA-ECMO was used to safely manage circulatory and respiratory failure during parathyroid tumor resection with hypercalcemic crisis due to parathyroid cancer. The patient’s informed consent was obtained for this case report. This manuscript adheres to the CARE guidelines [3].