Cardiac arrest in the left lateral decubitus position and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation during neurosurgery: a case report

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the lateral position during noncardiac surgery has been described in only a few reports in the past. Here, we report a case of cardiac arrest in a 61-year-old man undergoing microvascular decompression surgery for trigeminal neuralgia in the left lateral decubitus position. During the initial 5 min of CPR, chest compression was performed in this position by two rescuers; one from the chest and the other from the back, pushing simultaneously. Because ventricular arrhythmia was refractory to conventional CPR even after placing the patient back to the supine position, extracorporeal life support was introduced in the operating room by using the femoro–femoral approach (right atrio-femoral veno-arterial bypass). This alternative CPR markedly decreased the frequency of ventricular arrhythmia. Subsequent coronary angiogram detected 99% stenosis of the right coronary artery. Ventricular arrhythmia ceased after coronary revascularization, and the patient was successfully weaned from the extracorporeal bypass circuit. The patient was discharged alive with minimal neurological impairment. We suggest that chest compression in the lateral position by two rescuers is an efficient resuscitation maneuver, and if an electrical storm is refractory to conventional CPR, extracorporeal life support should be considered in the operating-room setting.