Advanced Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Treatment in India

Overview

The human body is a very magnificent and awe inducing commodity. Wondrous though it may be, the human body houses one of the more sophisticated and delicate organs that exist in nature. The heart and the lungs are some of the best examples of a high output organ in the body. Even though the heart and the lungs are capable of bearing a heavy load of work, they still require a proper maintenance to enable them to work efficiently. If the load on either of the organs turns out to be too much to bear, the whole body might get affected and suffer the consequences.

What is Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)?

Extracorporeal membrane Oxygenation or ECMO in short, is a procedure which is used to provide cardiac and respiratory support to people whose lungs and hearts are unable to provide an adequate amount of perfusion or gas exchange needed to sustain life. This medical intervention has mostly seen its use on children, but recently, there has been an application of this method in adults who are suffering from cardiac or respiratory failure issues as well. ECMO is considered to be derived from cardiopulmonary bypass which in itself is considered a temporary solution for children suffering with arrested native circulation. This procedure is also known as Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS). It is a modern term for heart-lung bypass.

What happens in ECMO treatment?

In the process of ECMO, the blood flows through a tube and into an artificial lung in the machine that removes carbon di oxide and adds oxygen. This blood is then warmed up to the body temperature and then sent back in to the body. There are two major types of ECMO treatments: VA ECMO and VV ECMO

VA ECMO

VA ECMO stands for veno-arterial ECMO. In this treatment procedure, connection to both the vein and the artery is done when there is a problem in the lungs and the heart.

VV ECMO

VV ECMO stands for veno-venous ECMO. In this procedure, connection to one or more veins is established, usually close to the heart, and is generally used when the problem is only in the lungs.

AV Pump-less Assist Device

AV stands for arterio-venous. This is another procedure which can be used to treat heart and lung complications but is not so commonly applied. In this procedure, a gas exchange enabling device is integrated into the pump-less AV circuit which is established by the cannulation of the femoral artery and vein. This method allows a small amount of oxygenation but the main purpose of it is to remove carbon di oxide.

Who is eligible to undergo the ECMO treatment?

The ECMO treatment is instilled in a certain set of conditions such as

• As a support during high risk procedures in the cardiac catheterization
• In cases where the patients are recovering from heart and/or lung failure or who have undergone heart and/or lung surgery
• When the doctors want to assess the state of other organs such as the brain and the kidney before wanting to go forward with the treatment for heart or lungs
• For patients that are awaiting lung transplant. The ECMO procedure helps in keeping the tissues of the body well oxygenated, which makes the patient a better candidate to undergo the transplant procedure
• As a support to a heart assist device such as left ventricular assist device (LVAD)

What are the conditions that can be treated using ECMO procedure?

Some of the most common disorders that can be tackled using ECMO treatment are

• Congenital heart defects
• Refractory cardiogenic shock
• Cardiac arrest
• Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)
• Severely high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs known as persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn or PPHN
• Severe case of pneumonia
• Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS)
• Sepsis or septic shock, which is a controversial yet highly researched use of ECMO
• When the body fails to adapt after cardiopulmonary bypass
• Hypercapnic respiratory failure
• Hypothermia or the loss
• Hypoxemic respiratory failure
• Final stage lung(s) or heart problem
• Severe air leakage problems

Izzy Paulsen, USA

“Hey I’m Rachel Paulsen from Australia, My daughter is 12years old and when one day she came back home from school, she was in acute cardiogenic shock. It scared me to an extent that I immediately took her to our family doctor and after certain tests it was revealed that the severe condition was caused by viral myocarditis, an infection of the heart. Her heart was falling and was unable to pump blood to the rest of his body. My doctor recommended me India cardiac surgery site for the best treatment of my little girl and without any further delay we went to India. I’m really glad that we chose India cardiac surgery for ECMO program at the best Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit in India. I’m happy to see my girl in good health. “

Top 10 Hospitals for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Treatment in India

Best 10 Surgeons for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Treatment in India

Complications involved in ECMO

As the ECMO treatment is generally suggested to children or adults who have a severe life threat, the procedure may turn out to have even more complications. But the application of this treatment is rather necessary as the life of the patient is on the line and a failure to comply may result in a fatal consequence. Some of the complications that arise from this procedure are

• Infections at the site where the tube enters the body
• Excessive bleeding because of the medication that has been given to prevent the clotting of blood in the tube
• Formation of blood clots and/ or air bubbles in the tube which may cause damage to vital organs
• Increase in the chance of having a stroke
• There may be some problems in blood transfusion as the person receiving ECMO is usually given blood products
• Bleeding into the brain
• Kidney failure
• Heart recovery problems

Why come to India to receive ECMO treatment?

India has been gaining fame as of lately for being the best destination to undergo any medical procedure. The medical facilities available in India are the modern and advanced with the technology being on par with that of the developed nations. All the latest technologies in the medical fields including advanced equipments and modern procedures are available in India. The surgeons in India are also known for being the best in their respective disciplines with huge amounts of experience in the most advanced medical and medicinal technologies having done multiple sophisticated and complex procedures in countries like, UK, USA, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and many more. The best thing about undergoing surgery in India is the low cost effectiveness. The costs of the medical procedures with the most advanced technologies in India are but a fraction of the costs in that of the western countries.
 

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