Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome Archives - Critical Care Science (CCS)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hantavirus infection is a zoonose with worldwide distribution. The transmission is related to the intimal contact with rodents. It causes two syndromes: hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), endemic in Asia and Europe and the Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), found in the American continent, including Brazil, with high mortality rates. The aim of this study is to report a case of HPS with multiple organ failure, managed with early goal-directed therapy guided by flow and tissue perfusion parameters. CASE REPORT: A 36 year-old male had fever with progressive dispnea, severe hypoxia and acute respiratory failure. Diffuse interstitial alveolar infiltrates were seen in the chest X-Ray. He developed multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (pulmonary, renal, coagulation, cardiovascular and metabolic). Treatment and invasive hemodynamic monitoring with pulmonary artery catheter was early instituted. The most important laboratory findings were thrombocytopenia, elevated hematocrit and hemoglobin concentrations, elevated liver enzymes, elevated lactate dehydrogenase and a positive sorology for Hantavirus (ELISA IgM positive). Organ dysfunctions reverted to normal and he was discharged after 21 days in hospital. CONCLUSIONS: An early and adequate resuscitation with goal-directed therapy enabled the reversion of the multiple organ failure syndromes and a favorable outcome, despite the severity of the disease.