Complex procedure saves unborn child of swine flu patient in Delhi

The unborn baby of a 24-week pregnant woman, who was suffering from swine flu, was saved using the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) procedure at a private hospital in the city. We hope to get the facility before the next season,” said Dr Sunil Kumar, medical director of GTB Hospital. The machine helps in providing prolonged cardiac and lung support by acting as an artificial heart and lungs,” said Dr Karan Madaan, associate professor, department of pulmonology, AIIMS. “It is important to have facilities at our hospitals so that samples can be confirmed at the earliest. A pump is used to circulate blood through an artificial lung back into the bloodstream of a very ill baby, especially those awaiting a heart or lung transplant.