KARIMNAGAR, JUNE 19, 2026: The Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is revolutionising transplantation by serving as a critical “bridge”. It temporarily takes over the function of failing hearts and lungs, keeping critically ill patients alive—and even mobilised—until a suitable donor organ becomes available, or until their own organs can heal, said Dr Tapasvi Krishna Katragadda, Pulmonologist at Yashoda Hospital, Somajiguda, Hyderabad
Talking to newsmen here at Yashoda health centre in Karimnagar town on Friday, Dr Tapasvi said that the ECMO is traditionally used as a short-term emergency measure and is now successfully sustaining patients for extended periods until a heart or lung is ready for transplant. Terming the ECMO as a life-giving procedure, she said that the ECMO is used when patients with end-stage Interstitial lung disease (ILD) or severe respiratory failure lose the ability of their lungs to adequately oxygenate the blood.
Giving details about the procedure, she said a highly advanced machine functions as an artificial lung outside the body; it removes oxygen-poor blood from the patient, enriches it with oxygen, removes carbon dioxide and then returns the oxygenated blood to the body. This technology plays a crucial role in keeping patients alive while they wait for a suitable lung donor, serving as a ‘bridge to transplant’, she added.
Stating that the patients should not lose hope simply because their lung disease has reached an advanced stage, she said with sophisticated facilities such as ECMO, it is possible to sustain life and create an opportunity for successful lung transplantation. She said that the Yashoda hospital had performed 128 lung transplantations and 69 heart transplantations since 2020.
About the Author
