BHUBANESWAR : Even as the Odisha government has announced its plan to start a full-fledged extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) unit at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, lack of specialised manpower to operate the advanced machines will prove to be a big hindrance.
An ECMO machine is run by perfusionists and as per the standard operating procedure one unit of four machines requires at least four such trained personnel for round-the-clock service.
For patients suffering from respiratory failure, ECMO systems can completely support the lungs for days or even months. This gives critically ill patients an opportunity to heal and overcome life-threatening illnesses.
Apart from perfusionists, an ECMO unit will also need three cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons (CTVSs), cardiologists, pulmonologists and intensivists.
And, the SCB MCH does not have bare minimum faculty in the departments concerned for regular operations.
Though bypass surgery started in late 80s, the hospital has only one perfusionist, that too on contract.
Similarly, of the seven faculty positions in CTVS department, four - one professor and assistant professor each and all two associate professors - are lying vacant. Instead of appointing a professor, the government has deputed a professor of another discipline to the department.
There are no pulmonologists and the cardiology department is struggling with vacancies. How is it possible to run the ECMO unit in such a scenario, wondered a senior doctor privy to the development. He said the specialists will only supervise, but there must be a required number of perfusionists.
Sources said though the CTVS department has written at least 12 letters in the last three years for permanent posts of perfusionists and filling up vacant posts, there has been no response from the government.
“If the ECMO unit is set up without creating the required number of posts and appointing right persons, the open heart surgery will be stopped as Covid-19 treatment and heart surgery cannot go on simultaneously. The SCB MCH conducts at least 15 such surgeries every month,” said the doctor.
Former Dean of SCB MCH Prof Sidhartha Das said the requirement of perfusionists for a bypass surgery is for 8 to 10 hours.
“But for ECMO, perfusionist is needed till the patient recovers. It may go up to a month or more,” he said.
“Odisha badly needs an institute of its own to impart education in at least five disciplines - dialysis, perfusion, ECG, EEG and OT technicians. These are full time courses. Paramedics are the pillars of the healthcare pyramid,” he said.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra said the Finance department has been moved for the creation of the required number of posts for the proposed ECMO unit. Once it is approved, the recruitment process will start, he added