Expert throws light on life-saving technology during meeting with healthcare professionals

Suneel Pooboni, working as a paediatric medical care consultant at a hospital in Dubai, raised awareness among the healthcare community about a life-saving technology — Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) — and discussed with others the scope of its application in government and private hospitals in the State.

In a virtual meeting, organised by the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) at its campus on Monday, Dr. Suneel Pooboni gave a lecture titled ‘The way forward in critical care journey: Is ECMO possible in our set up?’.

Dr. Suneel Pooboni said that ECMO is used in cases following severe lung problems such as pneumonia, when ventilator treatment fails or following a heart attack, when the heart fails to supply enough blood to the body. He said ECMO can be used under similar circumstances when the routine conventional intensive care cannot support bodily functions. It is a temporary process till the lungs or heart recovers, he added.

He added that the technology is widely used in the western world, and that in India, some corporate hospitals have begun to use it. For establishing the unit, adequate facilities and training of doctors and nurses are required, he said, adding that training is important as a patient may develop complications while being treated through ECMO.

He also said that there is a possibility of a patient developing a new infection during the ECMO treatment, and in such cases, the chances of failure are more. However, in case of no infections, the chances of a positive outcome are more. When there are no infections, the chances of survival in people with severe respiratory problems is approximately 60 per cent and in those with cardiac problems, the percentage is 50.

Principals, superintendents, students from government and private medical colleges in the State took part in the virtual meeting.