Most Efficient Life Saving ECMO Treatment in India

by Rachel Smith India Cardiac Surgery Site Consultants Pvt. Ltd.

What is ECMO?

ECMO i.e. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, also known as Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS), is a life-saving technique that performs natural function of the heart and lungs. The word ‘Extracorporeal’ means outside of the body and this technique is used to provide cardiac and respiratory support in patients in whom heart and lungs are not able to exchange the gases i.e. carbon-dioxide and oxygen and provide adequate blood perfusion to the body cells.

ECMO is used during life-threatening conditions such as severe lung damage from infection or shock after a massive heart attack. ECMO works like a heart-lung by-pass machine used in open-heart surgery. From out-side of the body, ECMO machine removes blood from the patient's body to artificially remove the carbon dioxide and oxygenate the RBCs, while allowing heart and lungs to rest.

When patient is connected to an ECMO, blood flows through an artificial lung in the machine that adds oxygen and takes out carbon dioxide. The oxygenated blood is warmed to body temperature and pumped back into patient’s body.

ECMO is often used:

As a bridge to lung or heart transplant
In acute respiratory distress syndrome like the influenza H1N1 pandemic
In Post-Cardiac Arrest patients.

Though there are several forms of ECMO yet the two most common are:

Veno-Arterial (VA) ECMO – that is performed using a catheter that is inserted in the vein on the right side of the neck which removes un-oxygenated blood from the body.

Another catheter is inserted in the artery on the right side of the neck which returns oxygenated blood from the ECMO circuit to the body.

In this process the blood is returned to the arterial system.

Veno-Arterial (VA) ECMO provides support to the heart and the lung.

Veno-Venous (VV) ECMO- in which a single catheter is placed in a vein that returns the blood to the venous system.

Veno-Venous (VV) ECMO provides support for the lungs only

In both forms of ECMO, blood is drained from the venous system and is oxygenated outside of the body.

Who is eligible to undergo ECMO treatment?

ECMO is used patients in whom:

Lungs are unable to provide enough oxygen to the body despite extra oxygen
Lungs are incapable of getting rid of carbon dioxide even with the aid of a mechanical ventilator
Heart cannot pump enough blood to the body

The patients who are waiting for an organ transplant like new heart and/or lungs or patients with incurable heart or lung disease are also eligible for ECMO treatment.

What are the conditions that can be treated by ECMO?

The ECMO is mostly used to treat conditions like:

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH)
Birth defects of the heart
Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (MAS)
Severe Pneumonia
Severe air leak problems
Severe high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs (PPHN)

ECMO is also used during the recovery period after heart surgery.

ECMO is also used for support during high-risk procedures in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab and as a bridge to a heart assist device, like Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)

Top hospitals in India for ECMO

There are many yet one can choose the best hospital for ECMO treatment in India as per one’s convenience from following top hospitals in India:

Fortis Group of Hospital
Global Group of Hospital
Aster Medicity Hospital
BLK Super Specialty Hospital
Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital
Asia Columbia Hospital

Why come to India for ECMO treatment?

In last two decades, medical tourism to India has taken a big leap forward and has almost emerged as the most favorite destination for treatment for International patients.

Patients needing ECMO treatment have good number of reasons to come to India that includes availability of:

Highly qualified, skilled and experienced doctors
World-class hospital infrastructure
Use of latest technology and equipment
Unmatched pre and post-operative/ treatment and nursing care
High class hotels and travel facilities
Ease of visa procurement
No language problem

Above all, the cost, even in international standard hospital for ECMO treatment in India is just a fraction of cost in Western or developed countries.