Ultra-rapid ECMO saves 14-year-old girl at KIMS Cuddles, Kondapur
Revealing details of the case, Dr. Parag Dekate, Clinical Director (Paediatrics) and Head of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), said the child’s condition was deteriorating rapidly even before arrival.
Hyderabad: In a remarkable medical achievement, doctors at KIMS Cuddles, Kondapur, successfully saved the life of a 14-year-old girl by deploying ultra-rapid veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO), showcasing the power of swift decision-making and advanced critical care.
The girl, a resident of Mulugu village in Medak district, was admitted in an extremely critical condition, suffering from severe pneumococcal pneumonia complicated by empyema, profound hypoxaemia and septic shock. She was on mechanical ventilation and unresponsive to conventional treatment when she was referred to KIMS Cuddles.
Revealing details of the case, Dr. Parag Dekate, Clinical Director (Paediatrics) and Head of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), said the child’s condition was deteriorating rapidly even before arrival. Anticipating the severity, the PICU team activated an emergency “scoop-and-run” ECMO retrieval strategy, with parallel planning for ECMO support initiated prior to her admission.
Despite maximum conventional respiratory support after arrival, the child’s oxygen saturation continued to fall. Demonstrating exceptional speed and coordination, the multidisciplinary PICU team completed VV-ECMO cannulation within 50 minutes of arrival and placed her on ECMO support in under an hour. “The ultra-rapid decision-making and execution were crucial in saving her life,” Dr. Parag said.
The patient remained on VV-ECMO support for eight days. ECMO, an advanced life-support technique, is used when the lungs are unable to provide adequate oxygenation. Over time, her respiratory parameters improved steadily, allowing doctors to successfully decannulate her and gradually wean her off ventilatory support.
The girl had initially been admitted to a hospital in Kompally under the care of Dr. Mahipal, where she received advanced ventilation support, before being shifted to KIMS Cuddles, Kondapur, for ultra-rapid ECMO intervention.
During the recovery phase, the patient developed a rare complication — a small bowel obstruction caused by an intestinal blood bezoar, an uncommon ECMO-related event. The complication was promptly diagnosed and effectively managed through timely paediatric surgical intervention.
After 35 days of intensive care, close monitoring and multidisciplinary treatment, the girl was discharged in a stable condition with complete neurological recovery.
Dr. Parag highlighted that the successful outcome was made possible by timely ECMO initiation, well-coordinated retrieval protocols and the presence of a strong multispecialty team under one roof. The treating team included Dr. Parag Dekate, Dr. Avinash Reddy P., Dr. Kalyan K., Dr. L. Sri Vidya and Dr. Vinod P., supported by dedicated nursing, perfusion and transport teams. The paediatric surgery team comprising Dr. Yoganagendra, Dr. Manisha Reddy and Dr. Ashish Kodali also played a crucial role in the child’s recovery.
The case stands as a testament to the life-saving potential of ultra-rapid ECMO and advanced paediatric critical care when delivered with precision, teamwork and timely intervention.
