Mumbai / Kolkata, June 2022: Medica Group of Hospitals, the largest private hospital chain in Eastern India, at its flagship facility Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Kolkata cured a 50-year-old Man from Toronto by ECMO. The patient was diagnosed with ARDS and septic shock with severe hemodynamic instability. The team of experienced doctors from the ECMO department and the care team of Medica joined hands together for this remarkable case. The team put in their combined efforts under the leadership of Dr. Arpan Chakraborty, ECMO Physician, and Critical Care Specialist at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, and Dr. Dipanjan Chatterjee ECMO Physician, and Critical Care Specialist at Medica Superspecialty Hospital, Kolkata to achieve this momentous feat on, June 16th, 2022.

Mr. Kumar, 50, of Toronto, became critically ill after contracting acute pancreatitis during a visit to his hometown in Dhanbad. After initial treatment in a local nursing home at Dhanbad, he was referred to Medica Superspecialty Hospital, at the end of April due to his gradual worsening state. Medica’s ECMO team, led by Dr. Arpan Chakraborty and Dr. Dipanjan Chatterjee, rescued, and transported him on ECMO to Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Kolkata. With a team of ECMO physicians, perfusionists, physician assistants, and Karma members, the 300-kilometer inter-state ECMO transport took six and a half hours. After examining his previous health records, he was found suffering from diabetes, pneumonia with severe infection, along with low blood pressure. After a subsequent investigation, he was diagnosed with ARDS, septic shock, and severe hemodynamic instability. He was critically ill but gradually showed improvement after two weeks. He was eventually taken off ECMO and ventilator, and his tracheostomy was also removed. With intensive rehabilitative physiotherapy, he soon began sitting and walking at his bedside.

After 45 days, he got discharged from Medica with a very satisfying evaluation.

Dr. Arpan Chakraborty and Dr. Dipanjan Chatterjee who led the ECMO team, said, “It is always a challenge to save a critical patient on ECMO in the street. The most difficult part was the six and half hours of the journey which he thankfully survived. After the initial revival, his tracheostomy was done. This procedure helped in the gradual improvement of his lung function. The ventilation was continued till his pulmonary function improved significantly and gradually he got mobilized and could walk on his own without any support. We are thankful to his family, and his friends in India and abroad, who have been supportive and equally participative with us in this long battle”

Dr. Alok Roy, Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals, said “Medica is always available for advanced treatment, and ECMO has enabled us to retrieve patients from remote locations, allowing us to save precious lives. We are proud of our Clinicians who provide such world-class care in this part of the country.”

Medica always believed in bringing world-class critical care and organ support treatment like ECMO and the Heart/Lung Transplant program to this part of the world. With such an aim, the Medica ECMO team has shown a tremendous task of long road transport and roadside Critical care during transport with magnanimous recovery following post-pancreatitis ARDS with shock.