Efficacy of Long-term Dobutamine Infusion Overlapping with Carvedilol Introduction for a Patient with Refractory Heart Failure due to OMI

An 83 year-old female with clinical scenario type 4 refractory heart failure (HF) was transferred to our ICU. In the previous hospital, she underwent primary PCI for extensive anterior AMI and subsequently developed low output syndrome. Therefore, she was treated with dobutamine and then during tapering dobutamine LOS relapsed. Therefore, she was transferred to our hospital to manage the HF on day 21. Because the symptom was stable but tachycardia was observed, we introduced very small amount of carvedilol(1.25 mg). Once the symptom of LOS seemed to be getting better, but sudden bradycardia and PEA was developed on day 40. A successful cardiac resuscitation was carried out and then dose of dobutamine was increased and carvedilol was discontinued. At that time we planned long-term low-dose dobutamine infusion until complete recovering from the HF and re-introduce carvedilol at the appropriate timing. On day 74, we successfully re-introduced carvedilol(0.625 mg) and could increased the dose of carvedilol (1.25 mg)on day 90 because of good clinical course. Eventually we succeeded to discontinue dobutamine on day 119 and she left our hospital on her own foot. The use of dobutamine is controversial, because it facilitates cardiac remodeling. However, low-dose and long-term dobutamine infusion overlapping with carvedilol introduction is sometimes necessary for a patient with refractory LOS like the present case.