Chennai: Patients experiencing severe heart, lung or multiple-organ failure may require highly specialized life support when conventional treatment is no longer sufficient. Addressing this need, Kauvery Hospital, Vadapalani, Chennai, has launched the Kauvery Centre for ECMO & Advanced Life Support, offering advanced extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and comprehensive critical-care services.
The centre is designed to manage critically ill patients requiring advanced heart and lung support, multiorgan care and ECMO-assisted transportation from other hospitals.
Its ECMO programme includes VV-ECMO for severe respiratory failure, VA-ECMO for cardiac failure, V-AV or Hybrid ECMO for combined heart and lung failure, awake ECMO, as well as ECMO-supported road and air transfers.
VV-ECMO supports patients whose lungs are unable to provide adequate oxygenation or remove carbon dioxide. VA-ECMO provides both circulatory and respiratory support when the heart is unable to maintain sufficient blood flow. Hybrid ECMO combines these approaches for patients experiencing both cardiac and respiratory failure.
For selected patients, awake ECMO can provide life support while allowing them to remain conscious during treatment.
The centre also facilitates the transfer of critically ill patients from hospitals that do not have ECMO facilities. Its specialized team can travel to the referring hospital, evaluate the patient and initiate ECMO when clinically appropriate. The patient can then be transported by road or air to Kauvery Hospital, Vadapalani, while remaining on ECMO support throughout the journey.
Complex critical-care cases often involve more than heart or lung failure. Patients may simultaneously develop kidney dysfunction, fluid-balance problems, infections or other complications requiring additional interventions. The centre therefore brings together multiple specialties to provide coordinated treatment based on the patient’s changing clinical condition.
The multidisciplinary team includes ECMO specialists, cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiothoracic anaesthetists, perfusionists, cardiologists, pulmonologists, critical care specialists, nephrologists, haematologists, infectious disease specialists, ECMO-trained nurses, physiotherapists and other clinical teams.
The programme is led by Dr. K. Madhan Kumar, Director – ECMO & VAD and Senior Consultant – Cardiothoracic & Transplant Surgeon at Kauvery Hospital, Vadapalani, who currently serves as President of the ECMO Society of India.
Dr. Madhan Kumar said, “When severe heart or lung failure does not respond to conventional treatment, ECMO provides temporary life support, allowing doctors to treat the underlying condition and assess the potential for recovery. Managing such patients often involves addressing complications affecting other organs, requiring careful monitoring and timely clinical decisions. We are pleased to have established the Kauvery Centre for ECMO & Advanced Life Support, bringing together advanced facilities, specialized expertise and a multidisciplinary team to manage complex critical-care cases and provide comprehensive, coordinated care tailored to each patient’s needs.”
Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-founder and Executive Director, Kauvery Group of Hospitals, said: “Advanced critical care depends on the strength of the team behind it. The ability to manage complex conditions comes from bringing together the right specialists, technology and clinical judgement, particularly when a patient’s needs change rapidly. At Kauvery Hospital, our focus is on building these capabilities as part of a coordinated approach to care, so that patients with serious and complex conditions can be assessed and treated by teams equipped to address their needs.”
With the new centre, Kauvery Hospital is strengthening its capabilities in advanced cardiac and respiratory support, ECMO-based transfers and multiorgan critical care. The programme brings together specialized technology, clinical expertise and multidisciplinary decision-making to support patients facing some of the most complex forms of critical illness.
(Photo courtesy: kauveryhospital.com)