BHUBANESWAR: Extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and paediatric bronchoscopy units were inaugurated at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar to mark the ninth Foundation Day of the premier institute, here on Thursday. AIIMS is the first public hospital in the State to have an ECMO unit and paediatric bronchoscope.
The high-end machine installed at the Cardiothoracic Vascular Surgery (CTVS) department will be a great help to the critical COVID patients who were earlier referred to private centres outside the State. While three perfusionists recruited will join shortly, nursing officers and other para-medical staff have been trained to handle ECMO machines. One more machine will be procured this month. The hospital has constituted a committee to screen the patients who may need the ECMO treatment.
The paediatric flexible bronchoscope has been installed in the department of Paediatrics. A bronchoscope is used to diagnose and treat respiratory diseases, much like an endoscope for gastrointestinal diseases.
Though the Pulmonary Medicine department of various medical colleges use the flexible adult bronchoscope to diagnose and treat pediatric respiratory diseases, using the adult bronchoscope is challenging in neonates and children. AIIMS Director Prof Gitanjali Batmanabane said children of all age groups with various types of respiratory diseases will be immensely benefited by the new paediatric flexible bronchoscope.
Highlighting the future plans of the institute, she said, the facilities that are at the final stage of completion including PET-CT, Lithotripsy, Burn Unit, 500-bed Dharmashala, Level-I trauma centre and kidney transplant unit will be made functional within next six months.
"Ahead of a possible third wave, a 14-bed ICU (10 for pediatric and four for neonates) specially designated for children with severe COVID infection including multi inflammatory syndrome has been planned at the Paediatrics department. The children who recovered from COVID may have post-Covid syndrome like adults and the flexible paediatric bronchoscopy will be of great help to them," added Prof Batmanabane.