Treatment of yew leaf intoxication with extracorporeal circulation.

Taxine, a yew tree toxin, is highly cardiotoxic. We report the case of a patient who developed severe cardiac failure and ventricular fibrillation after consuming yew leaves and who made a full recovery after extracorporeal life support. Yew poisoning can be added to the list of potential indications of extracorporeal life support for refractory toxic cardiogenic shock.