The much-awaited ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) treatment would be made available for patients at the SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack, from August 15, informed Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) CBK Mohanty on Saturday.
Speaking to mediapersons, he said nine ECMO machines have been kept ready at the hospital and a dedicated manpower is also there for operation of the machines.
“While one team has already arrived after proper training in Kolkata, another batch will leave for the neighbouring metro city soon to undergo training. All the machines have been installed. Preparations for the service are almost over,” Dr Mohanty said.
He further informed, “Many Covid patients require ECMO treatment post their recovery. Hence, we will keep the nine machines in two units. A large unit using six ECMO machines will be made available for Covid-recovered patients and another small one using three ECMO machines for the infected persons.”
Notably, in mid-July this year, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar started operating an ECMO machine for treatment of serious Covid patients and other critical cases.