Acute myocarditis leading to severe heart failure in paediatric patients is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening condition. The prompt implant of mechanical circulatory devices such as veno-arterial extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation remains the best treatment option to restore an adequate perfusion and improve patient survival in case of refractory cardiogenic shock cases. While few reports describe the in-hospital course of this dramatic disease, with an in-hospital mortality under veno-arterial extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation support around 30%, our study aims to analyse both short- and long-term outcomes after extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation implant.

Eosinophilic myocarditis is rare in children, and consequently, it is difficult to diagnose eosinophilic myocarditis rapidly. We report the clinical course of acute eosinophilic myocarditis with pericarditis in two adolescent boys and their associated electrocardiograms. The two patients, 13- and 14-year-old boys, developed cardiomegaly and chest pain with vomiting. On examination by two-dimensional echocardiography, thickening of the ventricular septum and a pericardial effusion were detected. The eosinophil count had increased by the pericardial effusion. Acute eosinophilic myocarditis often complicates a moderate to severe pericardial effusion owing to acute pericarditis. A cellular fraction analysis of the pericardial effusion is easy and useful for the diagnosis of eosinophilic myocarditis. Some serial changes in the electrocardiogram occur during each stage of acute eosinophilic myocarditis. They are induced by eosinophilic granules, which are capable of inducing tissue damage and dysfunction, and those changes in the electrocardiogram resemble the changes after an acute myocardial infarction. It is important to know the characteristics of eosinophilic myocarditis in order to prevent lethal complications.