Kauvery Hospital Alwarpet said its doctors have saved the life of a 62-year-old man through an advanced cardiac procedure involving ECMO-CPR (Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) a rare, complex intervention reserved for the most critical cases of cardiac arrest.
The patient, who was rushed to the Emergency department with a major anterior wall myocardial infarction, was found to be in cardiogenic shock (when the heart struggles to pump blood to the body) with dangerously low blood pressure and reduced perfusion to vital organs.
As he was being shifted to the Cath Lab for an emergency angioplasty, he went into cardiorespiratory arrest (heart and lung functions stopped). Despite high-quality conventional CPR, there was no return of spontaneous circulation placing him in refractory cardiac arrest, a condition where survival is rare without advanced support.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the team comprising Dr R Anantharaman and Dr S Srikumar swiftly initiated ECMO-CPR. This external circulatory support maintained oxygenation and other organ perfusion, allowing the heart and lungs to rest while the underlying cause, blocked coronary arteries, could be treated.
Following the procedure, the patient was shifted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and more complex procedures were done and the man stabilised.
Dr. S. Srikumar, senior consultant interventional cardiologist observed “ The chances of a patient having sudden cardiac arrest following an acute myocardial infarction surviving to discharge is less than 15% with conventional CPR techniques, but the odds of his survival and going back home is doubled to around 30% with the timely initiation of ECMO-CPR.”
The patient was discharged after a 21-day hospital stay, fully mobile, neurologically intact, said a media release from the hospital.