The condition of Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa became “very critical” after she suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening, according to Apollo Hospital where she is being treated. She is said to be on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and other life support systems, according to a statement by the hospital on Monday.
Jayalalithaa was put on an extracorporeal membrane heart assist device soon after she suffered a cardiac arrest.
An extracorporeal membrane heart assist device provides assistance to a person whose hearts and lungs fail to produce oxygen. The process is known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The ECMO also known as extracorporeal life support is a technique which is performed outside the body.
ECMO removes the blood from a person’s body and artificially removes the carbon dioxide and oxygenates red blood cells. It is only performed on a person with heart and lung failure and is seen as a life-sustaining intervention.
According to the extracorporeal life support organization (ELSO) guidelines, the initiation of ECMO includes acute severe cardiac or pulmonary failure that is potentially reversible and unresponsive to conventional management. The survival statistics of people treated with ECMO have remained stable over the past decade.
According to a 2009 scientific paper by Thomas V Brogan, Ravi R Thiagarajan, Peter T Rycus, Robert H Bartlett and Susan L Bratton, Survival rates from 50 to 70 per cent have been reported in observational and uncontrolled clinical trials. But the age factor and co morbid conditions lower the chances of survival in an adult. However, The CESAR study has shown an improvement in six months without severe disability in patients getting ECMO.
Jayalalithaa has been in the Intensive care unit since September 22 after she complained of dehydration, fever and chest pain.