A Medical Director's Personal Experience with ECMO Reveals Several Lessons Learned

My personal experience with ED ECMO What does it take to save the life of someone who's in shock and suffering from an acute massive pulmonary embolism? The answer is a comprehensive system of medical care that starts in the field with well-trained providers and is seamlessly backed up by hospitals that can provide highly sophisticated treatments that can now be started in the ED. As a cardiologist and the operational medical director for the city of Richmond, Va., and the surrounding Henrico County, I've had the privilege of helping to develop a comprehensive, regional system of care. In this article, I'm going to use my own personal, near-death experience to illustrate how an integrated emergency healthcare delivery system can dramatically change the odds of survival. Case History In Fall 2014, despite a lifelong uneventful medical history, a large stone was found in my left kidney on a routine X-ray. Laboratory tests showed it was beginning to affect my kidney function, so a plan was devised to remove it gradually by monthly, one-hour lithotripsy treatments that use shock waves to break up kidney stones without surgery. After the procedure, the tiny pieces of stones pass out of your body in your urine. The procedure is performed under light anesthesia and is generally quite safe. However, like many surgical procedures or traumatic injuries, there's a small risk of blood clot formation in large leg veins. My first five procedures were totally uneventful with the stone gradu...
Source: JEMS Patient Care - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Patient Care Cardiac & Resuscitation Source Type: news