MGM Healthcare, a super-specialty hospital in the heart of Chennai city, today announced that it has successfully treated a 37-year-old male COVID-infected patient with the aid of double Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) - a procedure that oxygenates a patient's blood outside the body. It is an extremely rare occurrence as ECMO support was engaged twice especially for a COVID-positive patient.

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Dr. KR Balakrishnan, Chairman-Cardiac Sciences Director, Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant & Mechanical Circulatory Support, MGM Healthcare explained about the case and said, The patient from Rajkot was shifted to MGM Healthcare Chennai on 12th April 2021 was being treated for COVID Pneumonia and was put on ventilator support. He was obese and had tested COVID positive on 25th March 2021. He was put on ECMO support on 11th April by the MGM team of Doctors and slowly the support was withdrawn as the patient's health condition improved.

Dr. Suresh Rao, Co-Director, Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant & Mechanical Circulatory Support, MGM Healthcare further added, Once the ECMO was removed he was recovering well. However, he developed a fungal infection and his condition started worsening. As he was breathless and his oxygen saturation was low, we didn't have any other option but to put him on ECMO for the second time, to maintain his oxygen saturation. Gradually his clinical condition improved and we could wean off the ECMO. We had a backup plan for lung transplantation in case the lung was not recovering. The patient is now undergoing active physiotherapy and has been discharged recently from the hospital. His health has shown good signs of recovery and he will soon be able to fly back to his native Rajkot.