Best ECMO Doctors in India
- Cardiologist, Gurugram, India
- Over 20 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Hemant Madan is an experienced and accomplished cardiologist, with a professional experience of around 20 years.
- His expertise includes all aspects of cardiology, including pediatric cardiology, complex coronary interventions, device implantation, all kinds of rhythm disorders, percutaneous treatment of valve stenosis, and peripheral interventions.
- Dr. Madan pursued his Fellowship at the Royal College of Physicians from Edinburgh in UK.
- Cardiac Surgeon, Gurugram, India
- Over 15 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Rachit Saxena is an experienced cardiac surgeon, who is known for his extreme dedication to his profession, and for providing absolute patient satisfaction.
- Supported by an efficient cardiac surgical team, Dr. Saxena is known for successfully managing the most complex of cardiac surgical problems.
- Dr. Rachit Saxena is known especially known for the capability to perform cardiac surgery with minimal blood requirement and ensure early mobilization and return to work.
- Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Chennai, India
- Over 25 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. T Sundar is one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons in India.
- He is having extensive exposure to critical heart diseases and he has operated on them successfully.
- Dr. T Sundar is a Senior Consultant at Apollo Hospitals since 2003.
- He has been associated with international standards of surgery and diagnosis since his education period.
- Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon, New Delhi, India
- Over 36 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. N Sastri is a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon in India with extensive experience in critical heart surgeries.
- He has nearly 36 years of experience and is a senior consultant- Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery with Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.
- Dr. Sastri specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular disorders using advanced techniques. He has expertise in Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection Repair, Arterial and Ventricle Defects Surgery, Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy, Balloon Valvuloplasty, CABG LV restoration, PDA Device Closure, PPI, Valve Replacement, and Atrial Fibrillation Surgery.
- Over the years’ Dr. Sastri had treated patients across various countries. In addition to the adult and neonatal cardiac surgeries, he is involved in research and put out many research papers in different medical journals.
- Interventional Cardiologist, New Delhi, India
- Over 47 years experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Prashanta Kumar Ghosh is a senior cardiologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi with experience of nearly 47 years in the field.
- Dr. Ghosh has expertise in testing and monitoring cardiac problems. The procedures mainly include minimally invasive cardiac surgery, implantations, device closure for congenital heart diseases, cardiac catheterization, Carotid Angioplasty, Stenting, etc. Half of his experience came from practicing non-invasive cardiology.
- He has so far performed nearly 3 lakh Echos as well as thousands of Doppler and Trans Esophageal Echos in his professional journey.
- Dr. Ghosh has participated in many studies and published papers in various conferences and journals. He also delivers lectures to the students of many institutions across India and abroad.
- Cardiologist, Chennai, India
- Over 31 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Abraham Oomman is one of the best Cardiologists in Chennai, having an experience of 31 years in this field.
- Dr. Oomman offers consultation and also performs cardiac procedures. He specializes in Preventive Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Rheumatic Heart Disease, and Lipidology.
- Patients also visit him for ASD and VSD Surgery, Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries (DTGA), Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery, and Vascular Surgery.
- Cardiologist, Chennai, India
- Over 22 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Refai is a world-renowned cardiologist who practices at Apollo Hospital in Greams Road, Chennai.
- Dr. Refai completed advanced training in the United Kingdom after finishing his medical degrees in India.
- He specializes in Angioplasty (Stent implantation), Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDS), Transradial Rotablation, Chronic Total Occlusion Angiography, Pacemaker, Cardiac Invasive Procedures, Bypass Surgery, and other cardiovascular procedures.
- He was involved in many TAVI-related studies at King’s College Hospital in London, and a heart failure pilot trial at The Essex.
- Interventional Cardiologist, Chennai, India
- Over 38 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. I Sathyamurthy is a veteran Cardiologist and has an experience of more than 38 years in Interventional Cardiology.
- Dr. Immaneni Sathyamurthy is a distinguished personality who bagged Padma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian award. In addition to it, he was conferred many awards for his contribution to the medical sciences.
- He has over 250 publications to his credit, some of these are used as textbooks in medical courses.
- Interventional Cardiologist, Chennai, India
- Over 25 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Karthigesan A M is a renowned Interventional Cardiologist with more than two decades of experience.
- He completed advanced training in cardiac arrhythmia in the USA to serve his patients in a better way.
- Dr. A M Karthigesan received several awards from prestigious associations for his contribution to the field.
- Dr. Karthigesan authored several research papers and articles in premier periodicals and presented papers at national conferences.
- Interventional Cardiologist, Chennai, India
- Over 32 years’ experience
Profile Highlights:
- Dr. Asha Mahilmaran is a seasoned Interventional Cardiologist in Chennai, with more than three decades of expertise in the sector.
- She excelled in academics and was awarded a gold medal in medicine and cardiology.
- Dr. Mahilmaran offers Ventricular Septal Defect Surgery, Cardioversion, Carotid Artery Disease, Chest Pain Treatment, Cardiac Ablation, and Dextro-Transposition of the Great Arteries (DTGA), etc.
- Over the years, she has performed over 15,000 preventive heart checkups.
Best ECMO Hospitals in India
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)
ECMO or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation involves pumping the blood outside from your body into a heart-lung machine. The machine removes carbon dioxide and pumps back oxygen-filled blood into your body tissues. The flow of the blood is from the right side of your heart to the membrane oxygenator of the heart-lung machine that rewards and sends it back to your body. The procedure allows the organs to rest and heal while the blood bypasses your heart and your lungs. Usually used in infants with critical disorders of the heart and the lungs, you may also find its use for some other infections.
The method involves the use of a membrane oxygenator (acting as an artificial lung) that oxygenates the blood. It supplies oxygen to the blood and returns it to your body by combining with a warmer and a filter. Used for providing oxygenation while your doctor treats the disorder, it also benefits adults and older children.
Types and parts of ECMO
ECMO is of two types:
- Veno-venous ECMO (VV ECMO)- It takes blood from the veins and returns the blood to the vein. This type of ECMO finds its application in supporting lung function.
- Veno-arterial ECMO (VA ECMO)- It takes up the blood from one of the veins and returns the blood back to the artery. It supports the lungs as well as your heart. Being more invasive than veno-venous ECMO, there might be a need to close off the carotid artery (carotid artery is the main artery that extends from the heart to the brain).
Parts of ECMO include:
- Cannulae- They are large tubes (catheters) that your doctor will insert into your blood vessels for taking up and returning the blood back to the body.
- Membrane oxygenator- Used for oxygenating the blood, it is an artificial lung.
- Warmer and filter- Its purpose is to warm and filter your blood before the cannulae or catheters return the blood back to your body.
The cannulae take up blood with less oxygen from your body and send it to the oxygenator during ECMO. The membrane oxygenator will then pump oxygen into your blood and send this oxygenated blood through the warmer & filter to finally return the blood to your body.
Reasons for ECMO
ECMO is for the people suffering from critically ill conditions of the heart and the lungs or recovering from a heart transplant and when other life support procedures didn’t work. If you are suffering from serious but reversible lung or heart disorders, then your doctor will place you on ECMO. For the newborns, it is beneficial as it allows their heart and lungs to develop. There is a substantial increase in the survival rates with ECMO. It helps your body by providing oxygen to your body tissues. You may need to go for ECMO during conditions enlisted here.
For infants:
- ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome)
- Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (if there is a defect in the diaphragm)
- Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure present in the lungs)
- Respiratory failure
- Sepsis (an infection that can be life-threatening)
- Pneumonia
For older children:
- Severe pneumonia
- Cardiac surgery
- Toxic materials present in the lungs because of aspiration
- Infections
- Trauma
- Asthma
- Congenital heart defects
For adults:
- Decompensated cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease)
- Severe hypothermia (low body temperature)
- Acute myocardial infection (heart attack)
- Carcinogenic shock (shock caused when the heart is unable to pump enough blood)
- Myocarditis (presence of inflammation in the muscles of the heart)
- Post-transplant complications
- Pulmonary embolism (blockage in the pulmonary artery of the lungs)
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
- Influenza (flu)
Preparation for ECMO
Your doctor will first check you before placing you on ECMO. He or she will perform a cranial ultrasound of your brain to ensure that there’s no bleeding. It will also determine if your heart is working. You might need to undergo a chest x-ray daily while on ECMO. Your doctor will prepare the equipment after determining if you need ECMO. A trained team will perform your ECMO. The team will include respiratory therapists, ICU registered nurses, consultants & support personnel, rehab specialists, perfusionists who specialize in performing ECMO and a 24/7 transport team.
What to expect?
During ECMO
During ECMO, your doctor will first discuss all the details of the procedure with you and/or your family. Your doctor will place the cannulae in your chest, neck or groin region depending on your age after giving you general anesthesia (sleep medicine). You will be sleeping due to the sedation while being on ECMO. ECMO will perform the function of the lungs or heart. Your doctor will monitor you closely during ECMO with the help of daily X-rays. Apart from this, the doctor will also be monitoring your:
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
- Oxygen levels
- Respiratory rate
With the help of a ventilator and a breathing tube, your lungs will continue to work and remove the secretions from your body. You will continuously receive all the medications through intravenous catheters including heparin. Heparin prevents the clotting of blood while it travels during ECMO as it is a blood thinner. Your doctor will place you on ECMO for a minimum of three days to even a month, depending on your condition. However, the higher you are on ECMO, the higher is the risk associated with ECMO.
After ECMO
After noticing the improvements in your condition, your doctor will slowly reduce the amount of oxygenated blood that you receive through the ECMO and then wean you off from ECMO. Once you get off from this, your doctor will place you on a ventilator for a certain period of time. However, you will still require a regular follow-up for monitoring the underlying condition.
Results of ECMO
Risks of ECMO
The most common risks associated with ECMO are:
- Coagulopathy (blood clotting disorder)
- Seizures
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Stroke (damage to the brain because of the bursting of blood vessels or blood loss)
- Thromboembolism (blood clot)
- Limb ischemia (loss of blood in the limbs)