Rare surgery gives teen a new lease of life

For the first time in the State, Andhra Hospitals Heart and Brain Institute conducted a rare surgery on a 17-year-old boy suffering from profuse bleeding from lungs and mouth. Speaking about the surgery on Tuesday, Andhra Hospitals managing director Dr PV Ramana Murthy said that the patient Vivek met with a road accident on May 4 and was referred to the Heart and Brain Institute by specialists in Hyderabad.

“The teenager, who suffered chest fractures in the accident, was not able to breathe when he was admitted to the hospital. Due to continuous secretion from his lungs, the oxygen concentration level dropped drastically and he was found unstable even on maximum ventilation.

This is when cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Dileep Kumar R implanted Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) catheters in the boy’s heart through blood vessels in the neck and the leg,” Dr Ramana informed, adding that a team of cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologist, pulmonologist, pediatric intensivist, critical care specialist and physiotherapist, monitored the functioning of Vivek’s vital parameters round-the-clock, which gave a new lease of life to the boy.

The doctor informed that Vivek is recuperating well after the surgery and has been discharged from the hospital. The ECMO is a heart lung pump which provides oxygen support to the body when a patient’s heart or lungs fail to work. It is also used to give rest to damaged lungs to enable them to heal.