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Manipal, May 7: Kasturba Hospital, Manipal performed the first survival on Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) based bypass surgery in coastal Karnataka recently on a male patient aged 61 years. He reported to the hospital with complaints of breathing and tiredness which he experienced for the last few months. On doing a check-up, it was found that his heart was functioning only 15-20 per cent, and an angiography showed three artery blockages. His heart beat was irregular. 

The Kasturba Hospital doctors led by Dr Aravind Kumar Bishnoi, Cardiac Surgeon decided to go for a high risk bypass operation. However, on the day of the surgery, at about 5 am, he went to the wash room and collapsed there. His heart stopped beating. Duty doctors immediately got down to reviving the patient.  After an hour of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and 20 shocks he was revived. But his blood pressure was low despite giving very high dosage of medicine. His heart rhythm was becoming irregular that could have led to another cardiac arrest. 

The patient’s family was told about his condition and the different options before them. ECMO was started in emergency. His blood pressure became stable almost immediately and he came around well enough.  Two days later, three major blockages were bypassed. Thereafter he was put on ECMO Machine support for 80 hours. His heart stabilized and machine disconnected. The ventilator was removed after one more day as his condition improved considerably.

Another two weeks of hospital care and he was discharged with an AICD implant. (AICD is pacemaker like device, which senses irregular heart beat and give shock automatically at any time).  His heart function is still around 20 per cent and he has been listed for heart transplant at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. Dr Bishnoi said, “ECMO is a machine which can work as artificial heart and Lung for 3-4 weeks. It gives rest to heart and lung for recovery. It is used in patients with advanced heart disease or patients with swine flu when not stable with conventional treatment”. 

“ECMO came in limelight after its use on Ms. Jayalalithaa former chief minister of Tamil Nadu. It is costly treatment. This is first survival on ECMO in coastal Karnataka,” Dr Bishnoi added. 

Dr Avinash Shetty, Medical Superintendent, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal congratulated the team led by Dr Bishnoi in performing this procedure with high level of precision and said it would raise hopes of people in coastal Karnataka and neighboring districts. Kasturba Hospital, Manipal started ECMO facility earlier this year. KMC Manipal is leader in Cardiac science in Coastal Karnataka and provide treatment to all patient including Newborn and children and Adult patient with heart disease. ECMO and cardiac transplant facility is another feather in the cap of department of Cardiology and cardiac surgery.