KMC Hospital to launch ECMO service for critically ill patients

The KMC Hospital, B.R. Ambedkar Circle, Mangaluru, said on Tuesday that it will soon launch Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) service, which will provide advance life support to critically ill patients with severe lung and heart failure.

In a press release, the hospital said the ECMO machine helps in continuously pumping blood out of the body, oxygenating it, removing carbon dioxide, before returning it to the body. This procedure is vital for patients suffering from severe heart and lung failure.

The ECMO service will significantly enhance hospital’s ability to treat patients suffering from pneumonia, severe COVID-19, cardiac arrest and severe trauma. The service will be available from the end of December, the hospital said.