New Delhi: Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, has successfully treated a 61-year-old patient suffering from severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) along with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), using an advanced life-support therapy called Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (V-V ECMO).
This marks the first successful ECMO recovery at the hospital, demonstrating the hospital’s growing capacity to handle highly critical and complex cases.
The patient, Mr Kisan Walimki Bhandari, was admitted with high fever, shortness of breath, swelling in the legs and face, and reduced appetite. The case was managed by the Critical Care team led by Dr Swapnil Khadke, HOD & Consultant - Critical Care Medicine at Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi.
Investigations revealed that his lungs were filled with fluid, causing severe breathing difficulty. At the same time, his existing kidney disease worsened, requiring dialysis to support kidney function.
Initially, the patient was managed with oxygen therapy, strict fluid management, and medicines. However, his breathing continued to deteriorate, and he had to be placed on a ventilator. A tracheostomy was later performed to enable long-term breathing support more safely and comfortably.
The medical team also tried proning (placing him on his stomach) to help his lungs expand better, but the improvement was limited. At this stage, doctors diagnosed him with severe ARDS, a condition where the lungs are severely inflamed and cannot supply enough oxygen to the body.
His Murray score (a medical scale used to judge how severely the lungs are damaged) measured 3.5, a score indicating critical lung damage. To protect his lungs from further strain and to keep him stable, the medical team decided to begin V-V ECMO support.
Speaking about the case, Dr Swapnil Khadke said, “ECMO is an advanced life-support therapy in which the patient’s blood is circulated outside the body through a special machine that adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. This allows the lungs to rest and recover while still maintaining adequate oxygen levels in the body. In this patient’s case, ECMO was crucial when regular ventilator support could no longer maintain his oxygen needs.
The success of this treatment depended on timely clinical decisions and seamless teamwork. ECMO requires continuous monitoring and close coordination between critical care specialists, lung and kidney teams, perfusionists who operate the ECMO machine, physiotherapists, and skilled nursing professionals. Early physiotherapy, even while the patient was in the ICU, played an important role in preserving muscle strength and supporting a faster and safer recovery once his organs began to improve.”
After being on ECMO support for several days and continuing dialysis, the patient’s lung function began to show gradual improvement. Once his oxygen levels stabilised, ECMO was carefully discontinued.
Over the following week, his ventilator support was slowly reduced, and he progressed to breathing with lighter oxygen assistance. His kidney function continued to be managed through controlled dialysis sessions, and ongoing infection control, nutritional support, and physiotherapy played an important role in helping him regain strength and mobility.
Mr Nitin Kamaria, Facility Director, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi, said that this clinical milestone reflects the hospital’s strong commitment to delivering advanced critical care to patients with severe and life-threatening conditions.
He added that the successful use of ECMO in this case demonstrates the hospital's readiness, expertise, and coordination among its multidisciplinary teams. “We are now fully equipped to manage highly complex critical care cases that require therapies such as ECMO, advanced ventilator support, continuous dialysis modalities like CRRT, and structured rehabilitation programs. Our focus remains on providing timely, evidence-backed, and compassionate care to every patient who walks through our doors,” he said.