Hyderabad, Jan 28: Doctors at KIMS Cuddles, Kondapur, achieved a major clinical success by saving the life of a 14-year-old girl using ultra-rapid veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). The child was admitted in a critical condition with severe pneumococcal pneumonia, empyema, profound hypoxaemia and septic shock.
Disclosing the details, Dr. Parag Dekate, Clinical Director (Paediatrics) and Head of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), said the girl, a resident of Mulugu village in Medak district, was unresponsive to treatment and on mechanical ventilation when she was referred to the hospital. With her condition deteriorating rapidly, the PICU team initiated an emergency “scoop-and-run” ECMO retrieval strategy, with parallel planning for ECMO support even before her arrival.
Despite maximal conventional support after admission, the child’s oxygen levels continued to fall. Demonstrating speed and precision, the multidisciplinary PICU team completed VV-ECMO cannulation within 50 minutes of arrival and placed her on ECMO support in less than an hour. “The ultra-rapid decision-making and execution were crucial in saving her life,” Dr. Parag said.
The patient was supported on VV-ECMO for eight days. ECMO is an advanced life-support modality used when the lungs fail to function adequately. Gradually, her respiratory parameters and oxygenation improved, following which she was successfully decannulated and weaned off the ventilator.
The child was initially admitted to a Hospital in Kompally under the care of Dr. Mahipal, where she was treated for Advanced Ventilation support later on, she was shifted to Cuddles Kondapur for Ultra-rapid ECMO treatment.
During recovery, the child developed a rare complication small bowel obstruction caused by an intestinal blood bezoar, an uncommon ECMO-related event. The condition was promptly identified and successfully managed through paediatric surgical intervention. After 35 days of intensive care and multidisciplinary monitoring, the girl was discharged in a stable condition with complete neurological recovery.
Dr. Parag emphasised that timely ultra-rapid ECMO initiation, coordinated retrieval protocols and the availability of a strong multispecialty team under one roof played a decisive role in the outcome. The treating team included Dr. Parag, Dr. Avinash Reddy P., Dr. Kalyan K., Dr. L. Sri vidya and Dr. Vinod P., along with dedicated nursing, perfusion and transport teams. The paediatric surgery team comprising Dr. Yoganagendra, Dr. Manisha Reddy and Dr. Ashish Kodali also played a key role in the child’s recovery.
