MGM Healthcare Launches Mobile ECMO Unit in Chennai
Chennai: MGM Healthcare, one of the city’s leading multispecialty hospitals, has rolled out a state-of-the-art Mobile ECMO Unit, an ambulance equipped to deliver ICU-level heart and lung life support. The service is designed to provide rapid on-site stabilisation for patients in severe cardiac or respiratory failure, significantly improving survival rates by reducing delays in initiating life-saving care.
The mobile unit was formally launched by ACP P.K. Ravi, Mr. M.K. Mohan, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Anna Nagar Constituency, and Dr. Rajesh, Managing Trustee of ALERT Foundation. The event was attended by senior specialists including 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 and Senior Consultant, Anaesthesiology and Surgical ICU at MGM Healthcare.
What ECMO Does
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a highly advanced life-support technique in which blood is circulated outside the body, oxygenated through an artificial lung (membrane), and pumped back in. It is used when the heart or lungs are so severely impaired that conventional treatments such as ventilators, medications, or CPR can no longer maintain adequate oxygenation or circulation. ECMO is critical in emergencies such as cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, massive pulmonary embolism, advanced pneumonia, ARDS, and uncontrolled respiratory failure.
Alongside the launch, MGM Healthcare also conducted an advanced CME programme to train professionals in emergency and critical care techniques beyond CPR and inotropes.
Expert Voices
Speaking at the launch, 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 specialised hospitals, but delays in reaching them can be fatal. The Mobile ECMO Unit bridges this gap by bringing advanced heart–lung life support directly to the patient’s location, enabling rapid stabilisation even before hospital arrival.”
Dr. K.R. Balakrishnan added:
“When all other resuscitative strategies have failed, ECMO is often the only option left to save a life. By deploying an experienced ECMO team and a fully equipped mobile unit directly to the patient’s bedside, we can reduce transfer delays and deliver life-saving cardiopulmonary support exactly when it’s needed.”
Dr. Suresh Rao described the initiative as a breakthrough in emergency care:
“The Mobile ECMO Unit allows us to reach patients with severe heart failure, advanced pneumonia, ARDS, or pulmonary embolism much faster, initiate support on-site, and safely transport even the sickest individuals. Extending ICU-level care to remote locations will transform outcomes for patients who might otherwise have little chance of survival.”
