A TEAM of experts of AIIMS Bhubaneswar successfully saved the life of a 24-year-old army jawan after his heart had stopped beating for nearly 90 minutes, using a special resuscitation procedure—eCPR,marking amilestone in Odisha’s medical history, doctors said on Monday. The life-saving intervention, known as Extracorporeal Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (eCPR) procedure, helped revive the young man even after his heart had stopped beating for nearly 1.5 hours, Dr Ashutosh Biswas of AIIMS Bhubaneswar told reporters. The patient, identified as Subhakant Sahu, having no past recordofcardiac ailments,came to AIIMS Bhubaneswar in a critical condition on October 1. Shortly afterhis arrival,he suffereda cardiac arrest.Despite 40 minutes of conventional CPR, therewasnocardiac activity.

 

The team faced a critical decision — whether to declare him dead or attempt a cutting-edge procedure. Biswas said the medical team eventually decided to proceed with eCPR. Led by Dr Srikant Behera, Intensivist andAdultECMO specialist, the team initiated Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), following which the patient’s heart began to beat again after around 90 minutes, though with an irregular rhythm. “Over the next 30 hours, the heart function improved significantly, and the patient was successfullyweaned offECMO after 96 hours,” Biswas said. “ECMO is an extracorporeal technique of providing cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide adequate amount of gas exchange or perfusion to sustain life.

 

It can support and perform the functions of the lungs and the heart, individually and together,” Behera explained. The eCPR, while technically challenging,represents a promising advancement in the treatment of cardiac arrests traditionally deemed fatal, he said. “This success marks a milestone in Odisha’s medical history,” Behera added. Though awareness and usage of ECPR are increasing around the world and significant advancementshave takenplace, it was the first such case in Odisha, doctors said. The patient is fully conscious, and his blood pressure and oxygensaturationarewithin thenormal range, they said. Sahu’s mother Minati expressed gratitude to the doctors for saving his life.