AIIMS doctors save youth’s life after heart stops for 90 min

Bhubaneswar: A team of experts of AIIMS Bhubaneswar successfully saved the life of a 24-year-old man after his heart had stopped beating for nearly 90 minutes using a special resuscitation procedure — eCPR, marking a milestone in Odisha’s medical history, doctors said on Monday.

This life-saving intervention, known as Extracorporeal Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (eCPR) procedure, helped revive the young man even after his heart had stopped beating for nearly 1.5 hours, Dr Ashutosh Biswas of AIIMS Bhubaneswar told reporters.

The patient, in critical condition with heart failure, was referred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on October 1. Shortly after his arrival, he suffered a cardiac arrest. Despite 40 minutes of conventional CPR, there was no cardiac activity. The team faced a critical decision — whether to declare him dead or attempt a cutting-edge procedure. Biswas said the medical team decided to proceed with eCPR.

Led by Dr Srikant Behera, Intensivist and Adult ECMO specialist, the team initiated Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), following which the patient’s heart began to beat again after around 80 minutes, though with an irregular rhythm.

“Over the next 30 hours, the heart function improved significantly, and the patient was successfully weaned off ECMO after 96 hours,” Dr. Biswas said.

The patient’s mother expressed profound gratitude, saying, “I cannot thank AIIMS Bhubaneswar enough for giving my son a second chance at life. Their skill, compassion and determination have worked a miracle for our family.”

“eCPR, while technically challenging, represents a promising advancement in the treatment of cardiac arrests traditionally deemed fatal. This success marks a milestone in Odisha’s medical history,” Dr Behera said.

Though awareness and usage of rCPR are increasing around the world and

significant advancements have taken place, it was the first such case in Odisha, doctors said.