Difficult cases in heart failure: Effective treatment of severe acute myocarditis with intravenous immune globulin and pulse corticosteroids in a 32-year-old patient.

We describe a 32-year-old patient with acute myocarditis resulting in severe heart failure with hemodynamic compromise who improved significantly after treatment with immune globulin and pulse steroids. Six weeks after termination of the immunosuppressive therapy the patient developed symptoms of heart failure again and his ejection fraction decreased to 30%-34%. Treatment with immune globulin resulted in resolution of symptoms and return of left ventricular function. (c)2000 by CHF, Inc.