MGM Healthcare Rolls Out Ambulance with ICU-Level Heart–Lung Support

MGM Healthcare, a leading multispecialty hospital in the city, has unveiled its state-of-the-art Mobile ECMO Unit, an advanced emergency service that provides ICU-level heart-and-lung life support and rapid on-site stabilisation for patients in severe cardiac or respiratory failure, significantly improving survival by reducing delays in initiating life-saving care.

The mobile unit was launched by ACP P.K Ravi , Mr. M.K Mohan , Member of the Legislative Assembly, Anna Nagar Constituency and Dr. Rajesh , Managing trustee, ALERT Foundation, in the presence of Dr. K. R. Balakrishnan, Director of Heart & Lung Transplantation, Dr. Suresh Rao, Co-Director, Institute of Heart & Lung Transplant, and Dr Senathi Nanda Kishore, Clinical Director, Senior Consultant & Clinical Lead, Anaesthesiology and Surgical ICU, MGM Healthcare.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a life-support technique in which blood is circulated outside the body, oxygenated through an artificial lung (membrane), and then pumped back in. ECMO is used when the heart or lungs are so severely impaired that conventional treatments such as medications, ventilators, or CPR can no longer maintain adequate oxygenation or circulation. It is critical in life-threatening conditions such as cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, severe heart attacks, massive pulmonary embolism, advanced pneumonia, ARDS, and uncontrolled respiratory failure. Along with the ECMO unit, they also conducted an advanced CME for equipping professionals with emergency and critical care beyond CPR and inotropes.

In his comments, Dr Senathi Nanda Kishore said, “Timely access to ECMO can be the difference between life and death in cardiopulmonary emergencies. Traditionally, ECMO support has been available only at highly specialised hospitals but there can be delays in reaching them. For patients suffering severe heart or lung failure in remote locations, every minute without adequate oxygenation or circulation raises the risk of irreversible organ damage, brain injury, or cardiac arrest. The new Mobile ECMO Unit bridges that critical gap by bringing advanced heart–lung life support directly to the patient’s location. It is staffed by expert critical-care physicians, perfusionists, and nurses who enable rapid on-site stabilisation and initiation of life-saving therapy even before hospital arrival.”

Dr K R Balakrishnan , said, “When all other traditional resuscitative strategies have been exhausted, ECMO is the only alternative left to save the life. ECMO is a resource-intensive, high stakes intervention reserved for the sickest patients, designed to provide temporary, life sustaining support in critical moments. Our goal is to provide timely, high-quality ECMO to every patient, wherever they are. By bringing an experienced ECMO team and a fully equipped mobile unit directly to the patient’s bedside, ECMO on Wheels reduces transfer delays, stabilises patients early, and delivers life-saving cardiopulmonary support exactly when it’s needed.”

In his comments, Dr. Suresh Rao said, “The Mobile ECMO Unit marks a major leap forward in emergency critical care. It allows us to reach patients with severe heart failure, advanced pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a severe lung condition causing dangerously low oxygen levels, or pulmonary embolism, a condition of blood clot in the lungs, much faster, initiate life-saving support on-site, and safely transport even the sickest individuals. By extending ICU-level care to remote locations and reducing delays in treatment, this service is set to transform outcomes for patients who would otherwise have little chance of survival.”