Acute fulminant myocarditis commonly manifests itself as severe, rapidly 
progressive hemodynamic deterioration and circulatory collapse that may be 
resistant to high doses of inotropic agents and steroids and to mechanical 
support by intra-aortic balloon pump. Acute myocarditis has a high mortality 
rate and may necessitate heart transplantation. The best short-term therapy 
available to support the patient may be a percutaneous left ventricular assist 
device. One such unit, the TandemHeart percutaneous ventricular assist device, 
can enable patients to recover in a few days. Two of our patients who 
experienced profound, therapy-resistant heart failure arising from acute 
myocarditis were successfully supported by the TandemHeart. To the best of our 
knowledge, these are the 1st reported cases in which the TandemHeart 
percutaneous ventricular assist device served as a bridge to recovery from acute 
fulminant myocarditis.