ECMO - Restoring Lives of Heart Patients

nikhil kamath 05-Dec-2016 Image Source

In India, heart disease is a growing concern as most of the people suffer from a heart condition of some kind or the other. This problem mainly arises due to the lifestyle people are living these days. Earlier heart conditions were limited to the west but this has slowly come to India as well. With 30 million heart patients in India, most of the patients are not even able to access the required medical facilities. This problem is mainly present in the rural areas of our country.

Now the heart patients have to worry no more as we have Dr. Kewal Krishan, one of India’s renowned Heart Transplant expert. Currently working as a Senior Consultant and Program Incharge of Heart Transplant and Vetricular Assist Devices at Max Superspeciality Hospital, Saket, New Delhi. Dr. Kewal Krishan has 7 successful LVAD replacements in India and has trained intensively in the field of ventricular assist devices including Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). He was worked with world renowned surgeons for Heart Transplants and Ventricular Assist Devices during his training. Dr. Kewal has also done clinical fellowships at world’s top hospitals including Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN, USA and Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, USA.

1. What is ECMO?

ECMO also known as Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) is a technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to function properly. In this process, a mechanical pump drives the patientâ€™s blood from a large vein via a catheter through an oxygenator which acts as artificial lungs for oxygenation and removal of carbon dioxide. This blood is then returned to the patientâ€™s body into another vein or artery via another catheter.

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2. Why is ECMO considered?

ECMO is considered because if ventilators are used to provide large amount of oxygen at high pressure, they can damage the lungs causing even more problems for the patients. Patients are supported with ECMO while the lungs and/or heart is failing because it removes the risk of harmful ventilation and allows time for the lungs and heart to recuperate. ECMO serves the purpose of artificial lungs and/or heart keeping the patient alive and gives time for the lungs and heart to recover. ECMO has shown to improve the survival in patients with â€œReversible Cardio Respiratory Failureâ€ if applied timely. With a great personality like Dr. Kewal Krishan having expertise with this device it is a blessing for the country and for all the patients suffering from a heart condition. We hope that Dr. Kewal Krishan continues to save more lives in the future.