Patient in critical condition saved with ECMO treatment

Ongole: The medical team at Aster Ramesh Hospitals in Ongole announced that they have successfully saved the life of a 27-year-old man from Giddaluru using state-of-the-art ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) treatment, marking a significant milestone in the district’s medical history.

Explaining in a press meet at the hospital premises, the hospital medical superintendent, Dr M Vamsikrishna, said that the young patient was rushed to the hospital in critical condition in the second week of August, experiencing severe breathlessness and unconsciousness. Upon arrival at the emergency ward, the patient suffered cardiac arrest, prompting immediate life-saving intervention by the medical team. Initial examinations revealed a rare condition of pulmonary embolism, where blood clots had formed in the lungs, causing complete failure of lung and kidney functions.

Given the severity of the condition, the doctors’ team, consisting of cardiologists Dr PJ Sandeep, Dr S Sridhar Reddy, pulmonologist Dr Jahangir Sultan, and the critical care team of emergency physicians, implemented advanced ECMO therapy, a sophisticated treatment typically available only in major metropolitan hospitals across India. This life-support system temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs, allowing these vital organs time to recover. After ten days of intensive ECMO treatment, the patient’s condition significantly improved. He made a complete recovery from the life-threatening state and was successfully discharged from the hospital on August 23, in perfect health.

Dr Vamshikrishna expressed pride in bringing this advanced treatment facility to Prakasam district for the first time. He emphasised that such cutting-edge treatments were previously accessible only in major cities, and credited the coordinated efforts of various specialty and super-specialty doctors for this remarkable success. The hospital’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr Nalluri Nitin, highlighted that providing ECMO treatment at the district level demonstrates the medical team’s dedication and expertise. He said that their goal is to provide comfortable, 24/7 accessible medical services to patients, and this treatment success will stand as a milestone in Prakasam district’s medical history.