ARDS secondary to descending necrotizing mediastinitis treated by long-term extracorporeal respiratory support.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) may be a severe complication of descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) that dramatically increases mortality in conventionally treated patients.1 Extracorporeal respiratory support in case of ARDS secondary to DNM represents a hard challenge, as a very severe clinical condition is treated with a complex technique. Here we describe a case of ARDS secondary to a DNM managed with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).