Geetanjali Hospital, Rajasthan, has always stood out from the crowd. Once again, it is proven. Recently, under the guidance of eminent cardiac surgeons Dr. Sanjay Gandhi, Dr. Anubhav Bansal, and Dr. Gurpreet Singh, cardiac anesthetist Dr. Ankur Gandhi, Dr.Kalpesh Mistry, Dr. Sumit Tiwari, Dr. Archana Devtara, Dr. K.R. Charan,  cardiologists Dr.  Kapil Bhargav, Dr. Ramesh Patel and Dr. Jai Bharat Sharma, Geetanjali Hospital has successfully treated a 15 years old heart patient with ECMO technology.

The treatment was assisted by perfusionists Pradeep Hedge, Anish, Noshi, CT-OT team, CTVS ICU team and stepdown team of the Geetanjali Hospital. There is no second thought in that, Geetanjali hospital has the best cardiac services and treatment in entire South Rajasthan.

For the first time in the history of Rajasthan, ECMO has been used as an artificial heart to turn out as a life saver in a critical heart condition. The patient was suffering from a leak in his heart valves, which made it impossible for him to stay active and healthy. He had cardiac arrest before operation. But the expert heart surgeons  of Geetanjali didn't give up. Patient was operated, valve was replaced, but heart was not pumping. The patient was treated on an ECMO machine for three successive days until his health condition improved.

And, thus once again, Geetanjali hospital proved as a savior in critical health illnesses. As we are talking about ECMO again and again, let us learn more about this machine here.

No one can ever forget the pandemic period when lakhs of people lost their lives. During a pandemic, a little-used breathing machine turned out to be a lifesaver when thousands of people were fighting against the coronavirus. That is ECMO, ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

ECMO or Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation is an advanced medical  machine usually employed in the intensive care unit. It acts as artificial lungs or artificial heart and supports life in crucial times. An ECMO provides cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs aren’t working properly.

Recently, Geetanjali hospital became the first hospital in South Rajasthan, to implement an ECMO machine for heart illness within its premises. ECMO functions by momentarily drawing blood from the body, allowing artificial oxygenation of red blood cells and carbon dioxide removal. 
John Gibbon first developed Heart Lung Machine in the 1950s. It was used on neonates in 1965 for the first time. Later, the scientists invented further up-gradation and variations of the machine. ECMO machine is generally used as a last-stage lung or heart failure treatment. It is also used as a post-cardiopulmonary bypass sometimes. During COVID-19 cases, ECMO was used to support patients with acute pneumonia. The Hindu stated ECMO is a lifesaver for patients who can't be recovered by using a ventilator.

What are the two ways of using ECMO Machine?

There are two ways of ECMO machines based on their principle and working:

1. Veno-arterial ECMO:
The venous cannula is placed on either side of the femoral vein for extraction, and an arterial cannula surrounds the femoral artery for infusion in Veno-arterial ECMO. It is usually preferred in adults and when the patient has undergone cardiopulmonary bypass.

2. Veno-venous ECMO:
In Veno-venous ECMO, cannulae are attached to the right common femoral vein for extraction and the right internal jugular vein for infusion.

Before the pandemic, the use of ECMO wasn’t that frequent because of its costs and implementation procedure. But, during the pandemic, this machine appeared as a boon to medical science. By implementing ECMO machines on its campus, the Geetanjali hospital has achieved an enormous milestone within the entire state.

With the ECMO machine, Geetanjali hospital has added one more pillar to our cardiac and pulmonary services. Even in the cases of pregnant women suffering from respiratory syndrome, ECMO has come out as a savior.

Geetanjali Hospital is one of the most excellent facilitated hospitals in Rajasthan. We provide 24*7 services and the most reliable cure to the patients. Our number of clinical trials each year also speaks a lot about temperament in medical sciences. With the ECMO machine, we have earned the recognition of the ideal hospital in the state.