Hyderabad, Jun 17 (IANS): Doctors at KIMS hospitals in Hyderabad saved life of a nine-month-old infected by Covid-19 through successful ECMO.

The paediatric intensive care (PICU) team headed by Nanda Kishore, at KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad and the PICU team of KIMS Cuddles, Kondapur headed by Parag Shankarao Dekate carried out the successful Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

More number of younger patients including children were severely affected during the second wave of Covid that caused havoc across India with increased mortality and morbidity.

According to doctors, Shreeyash from Adilabad was brought to KIMS Cuddles with fever, cough and breathing difficulty which progressed rapidly needing ICU admission and breathing machine (ventilator) support. His condition continued to deteriorate and was put on highest ventilator (HFOV) support and inhaled nitric oxide (iNO). In addition, child developed air leak from lungs (pneumothorax) which made ventilator treatment more difficult.

"At this point ECMO support was initiated there and shifted to KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad for further continuation. Child came off ECMO after 12 days and off ventilator support after further 3 days. Now the child is doing well, on breast feeds and no oxygen requirement. He was discharged home after one month of hospital stay," the hospital said on Thursday.

"This is first ECMO in India for children with Covid-19 disease. Though many children are affected with Covid-19 disease, it is asymptomatic to mild disease in majority with only minority of children needing hospitalization and ICU treatment. Among children needing ICU very few get worse to the extent of needing ECMO. It is also being considered in post Covid-19 multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) which is mostly seen in children where heart function is poor," said Nanda Kishore.

ECMO can be used in any disease where either lung or heart function is worse or conventional modes of treatment are failed. ECMO is not considered as first line treatment because of its inherent complications associated with it but should be initiated early when indicated, added Nanda Kishore.

PICU at KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad has been doing ECMO for children since 2013 with good outcome and have done maximum number in Telugu states. Now we have added latest and fully equipped ECMO facility for children with experienced doctors at KIMS Cuddles, Kondapur.

Senior doctors including Kishore, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist, Parag Shankarrao Dekate, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist, Sandeep Janardhan, Consultant, Cardiothoracic surgeon, Nisarg, Sr. Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Nagarajan paediatric cardiac anesthetist and Kiran Kumar, Consultant Paediatric Pulmnologist & Paediatric Intensivist have helped the procedure to be successful.