AIIMS Bhubaneswar saves critically ill patient after 36 days of ECMO support

Bhubaneswar: AIIMS Bhubaneswar has achieved a major milestone in advanced intensive care medicine by successfully treating a 49-year old lady police officer from Jharsuguda after 36 days of prolonged veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) support for severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

The patient was initially admitted to a corporate hospital in Bhubaneswar on 18th April, 2026, suffering from severe pneumonia. Despite receiving optimal intensive care and mechanical ventilation in a prone position, her oxygen levels continued to deteriorate.

Facing critical respiratory failure, she was referred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on 7th May, 2026 for advanced life support. Upon her midnight arrival at the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) in a highly critical condition with profound hypoxemia, a dedicated team led by Dr. Srikant Behera, an Intensive Care Medicine specialist and ECMO expert, promptly initiated life-saving VV-ECMO therapy.

The patient required 36 days of continuous ECMO support (from 7th May to 12th June, 2026) to allow her lungs to recover. During this period, she received comprehensive intensive care.

Following a gradual recovery of lung function, she was successfully weaned off ECMO support on 12th June, 2026, and liberated from mechanical ventilation on 27th June, 2026. Her tracheostomy was decannulated on 29th June, allowing her to transfer from the MICU to the general medicine ward on 6th July. She was completely weaned off supplemental oxygen by 18th July.

After achieving full recovery and independence in her daily activities, the patient was officially discharged home on 24th July.

Dr. Ashutosh Biswas, Executive Director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, congratulated the team on this remarkable clinical achievement. AIIMS Bhubaneswar continues to strengthen its position as a leading centre for advanced intensive care and extracorporeal life support in eastern India, said Dr. Biswas.