The doctors from the Da Nang General Hospital have saved the life of 22-year-old Tran Thi Thuy Hong from Quang Nam Province’s Dai Loc District with respiratory failure, by connecting her to extracorporeal blood circulation for oxygenation (ECMO).

The patient recovering after the treatment

This is the first time ECMO operation has been conducted successfully on such a pregnant patient. 

EMCO is a life-saving technique providing machine-enabled cardiac support to people with insufficient oxygen in the blood, caused by problems in the heart and lungs.

On 22 February, Hong was rushed to the hospital in a very critical condition with respiratory failure and vasodepression. 

At that time, she was 21 weeks pregnant.  Initial examinations showed that the woman was suffering from a viral infection that causes pneumonia and cardiomyopathy. 

She was then treated for 4 consecutive days of intensive care with no sign of improvement, on the verge of death from the multiple organ failure and acute lung injuries.

On 26 February, in an attempt to save Hong and her unborn baby in a timely fashion, the doctors decided to perform an ECMO operation on her in a bid to aid heart and lung function. 

After 4 days of ECMO treatment, Hong gradually recovered her health as her heart and blood vessels have resumed their normal operations.  Fortunately, her unborn baby’s growth is now on track.

Hong has now been discharged from the hospital.

Doctor Le Duc Nhan, the hospital’s Director, remarked that ECMO is the most advanced type of treatment to have been carried out successfully at the hospital to save the lives of patients with severe respiratory or cardiac failure.

This outside-the-body life support technique has been to date performed on a total of 30 patients in critical conditions.

Through appeals for public donations made by the hospital, a total of over 200 million VND donated by generous philanthropists, went to Hong’s family to cover her medical treatment costs.