E.C.M.O Transfer
An Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation is a bridge between an open-heart-surgery life-supporting machine, pumping as well as oxygenating a patient’s blood outside of the medical power’s body, and allowing the heart and lungs to rest. It uses that patient who is recovering from heart failure or lung failure.
MedicalPowers air ambulance has gained enormous experience in overcoming challenge-related illnesses to save lives. We have a team of well-experienced medical experts, high-qualified medical assistant staff, and an ultra-modern ECMO unit. Major transport objectives in the case of patients with ECMO include: transportation of the patient from the incident location when the patient is very sick and unstable, to the nearest health care centers.
medicalpowers Air Ambulance Patient transport service with ECMO Machine, Medical Emergency Patient transport in India.
Medicinpowers is now associate with International Air Ambulance Services and domestic repatriate services for immediate evacuation. It was first developed in the USA, after which it was incorporated as centralized ultra-critical care in all the advanced countries; gradually has been integrated into practice in various tertiary advanced hospitals in India.
Procedure:
E.C.M.O. involves surgery. Before any other treatment, the patient is administered sedatives with pain medication and an anticoagulant so no clotting of blood occurs. Then the doctor with the best possible assistants places E.C.M.O. into the artery or the veins. To ensure that everything is going in the right direction toward a positive sign, the x-ray is taken. Controlling the needs, the first emphasis is on the fact that the surgical team is especially trained. A patient will be put on a ventilator when this procedure is going to take place. Keeping the person on sedatives, supplement nutrition will be administered either through nasogastric tube or intravenously. When the patient is on the process of E.C.M.O., he or she receives several medications such as preventing blood clots, infections, sedatives, diuretics and electrolytes along with various tests. Therefore, the best time should be documented for the removal of E.C.M.O. when everything is in control. After everything comes to an end and the cannulas from the E.C.M.O. are removed and some more days are taken by the vessels in order to be repaired.
Uses:
Provides support in high risks of cardiac catheterization.
● ECMO acts as an overpass.
● It keeps tissues oxygenated and helps the patient to be better.
● Also used as a support for people who suffer from heart or lung diseases which
cannot be cured while the transplant procedure happens.
Heart conditions in which ECMO is used:
● Transplant complications (post operation)
● Life-threatening response to infection (sepsis)
● Acute myocardial infarction i.e., Heart attack
● Heart muscle disease (decompensated cardiomyopathy)
● Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
● Low body temperature (severe hypothermia)
● Cardiogenic shock (shock caused by the heart while not pumping enough blood)
Lung conditions in which ECMO is used:
● Respiratory failure
● Pneumonia
● Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
● Blocked pulmonary artery in the lungs (Pulmonary embolism)
● Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
● Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (defect in the diaphragm)
● Meconium aspiration i.e. when the fetus inhales waste products in the womb
● Flu or influenza
● Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
● Pulmonary hypertension (High blood pressure in the lungs)
Risks :
● Bleeding:
While on E.C.M.O, they are mostly suffering from blood thinning which makes them bleed from any part of their body. But if they bleed in the brain, lungs, or cannulas then it will be a very serious problem.
● Kidney Failures:
Sometimes during the procedure enough blood which is needed does not reach the kidneys. Due to which the problem called acute renal failure takes place. If the kidneys work stop then the patient needs to stick to the machine so that through it the kidneys could work.
● Infection:
With the tubes inside the body, it certainly increases the risks of infection because, generally, germs get inside the body and mix with the blood. In the worst possible scenario, the bad blood can reach and infect any part of the body.
● Leg Damage:
Since this is so in the case of patients who have been attached to E.C.M.O, the damaged blood flow would be harmful to tissues and make a leg lose its work. The worst, however is the damage that is on a severe level in which a patient has to undergo surgery, and that may result in the removal of part of the leg.
● Stroke:
When one is on the E.C.M.O. machine, the blood flow which the brain wants is much that can cause formation of small blood clots. By which a stroke can occur and also it might limit the ability to move, walk, talk, see, remember or work.