Doctors at KIMS hospitals in Hyderabad successfully used ECMO to preserve the life of a nine-month-old baby who had been infected with Covid-19.
The successful Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation was carried out by the pediatric intensive care (PICU) team at KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad led by Nanda Kishore the PICU team at KIMS Cuddles, Kondapur, Parag Shankarao Dekate (ECMO). During the second wave of Covid, which wreaked havoc across India, a greater percentage of younger patients, especially children, were badly afflicted, with increased mortality and morbidity.
Shreeyash from Adilabad was admitted to KIMS Cuddles with a fever, cough, and breathing trouble that quickly increased, necessitating ICU admission and breathing machine (ventilator) support, according to doctors.
His health worsened, and he was placed on the highest ventilator setting (HFOV) and given inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). Furthermore, the youngster developed a lung air leak (pneumothorax), making ventilator treatment more challenging.
“At this point, ECMO support was initiated there and shifted to KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad for further continuation. The child came off ECMO after 12 days and off ventilator support after further 3 days. Now the child is doing well, on breastfeeds, and no oxygen requirement. He was discharged home after one month of hospital stay,” the hospital said on Thursday. In India, this is the first ECMO for children with Covid-19 illness.
Although Covid-19 illness affects a large number of children, it is asymptomatic or mild in the vast majority of cases, with only a small percentage of children requiring hospitalization and ICU treatment.
Only a small percentage of children who require ICU worsen to the point of requiring ECMO.
It’s also being looked into for post-Covid-19 multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), which is most commonly found in youngsters with the impaired cardiac function “Nanda Kishore said. Since 2013, the PICU at KIMS Hospitals in Secunderabad has started performing ECMO for children with good results, and they have performed the most in Telugu states.
At KIMS Cuddles, Kondapur, we have now added the most up-to-date and completely equipped ECMO facilities for children, as well as competent doctors. ECMO can be used to treat any condition in which lung or heart function has deteriorated or when other treatments have failed. Because of the inherent problems of ECMO, it is not recommended as a first-line treatment, but it should be started as soon as possible when appropriate, according to Nanda Kishore.
Kishore, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist, Parag Shankarrao Dekate, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist, Sandeep Janardhan, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Nisarg, Sr. Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Nagarajan pediatric cardiac anesthetist, and Kiran Kumar, Consultant Paediatric Pulmonologist & Paediatric Intensivist were among the senior doctors who contributed to the procedure’s success.
