Special ECMO Unit To Be Set Up In Cuttack’s SCB For Treatment Of Critical COVID Patients

Cuttack: The Odisha government has decided to set up special extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) unit at SCB Medical College and Hospital here for treatment of critical COVID patients.

According to sources, the state government will procure six ECMO machines and these will be installed in the Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery Ward of the hospital.

“There are 21 registered ECMO machines across the country. Now, the need for machines has increased due to COVID-19. We are making arrangements to bring six units which will be kept at SCB,” said DMET Director CBK Mohanty.

For proper functioning of the special ECMO unit, a six-member committee comprising specialist doctors has also been formed.

Also known as extracorporeal life support (ECLS), ECMO is a technique of providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of gas exchange or perfusion to sustain life.

Odisha has only two ECMO machine and these are in private hospitals – SUM and KIMS. There is no ECMO machine in any government hospital in the state.