Chennai Man Spends 109 Days On ECMO, Ventilator, Recovers Without Lung Transplant

"Mr Mudijja is the only patient in the country to recover without lung transplant after being hooked up to an artificial lung ECMO for over 60 days," said Dr Arumugam.

In a rare case, a Chennai man diagnosed with COVID-19 and resultant lung complications spent about 109 days on ECMO (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) and ventilator support and recovered without having to undergo a lung transplant, the city hospital which treated him said on Thursday. Fifty six year-old Mudijja stepped out of the hospital as a healthy man today. "He became a living miracle, as none in the country has ever recovered without a lung transplant after spending over 9 weeks with ECMO support. Further, the treatment and care at the hospital were such that Mr Mudijja did not require a lung transplant, even after 9 weeks of ECMO support," Rela Hospital, a multi-speciality quaternary care hospital at Chrompet, claimed. After testing positive for COVID-19 in April end, Mudijja developed breathing difficulties before being referred to Rela Hospital. A CT scan prior to his admission at Rela Hospital indicated moderate COVID-19 pneumonia. His oxygen saturation level was at 92 percent in room air, when he was transferred to the hospital. His condition deteriorated and he required 10 litres of oxygen per minute. The heart and lung team led by Dr C Arumugam, senior consultant, heart and lung transplant surgeon, decided to move him into ECMO. Despite the progress being minimal during the initial 4-5 weeks, the hospital continued the medicare, it said.