12/04/2025
From Crisis to Comeback: A 9-Year-Old’s ECMO Miracle
When a 9-year-old boy from Lucknow arrived with life-threatening respiratory failure, it was clear we were in a race against time. He was suffering from severe diffuse alveolar hemorrhage due to Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (C-ANCA positive) — a rare, aggressive autoimmune vasculitis affecting his lungs.
KIMS-ECMO team immediately mobilized, initiated veno-venous ECMO at the referring hospital, and airlifted him to our center for specialized care.
He spent 30 days on ECMO, supported by a powerful combination of:
• Cyclophosphamide
• IVIG
• Rituximab
• Plasmapheresis
The odds were tough:
• Ongoing bleeding in the lungs made anticoagulation a tightrope walk
• He developed severe leukopenia, requiring extreme infection control
• Yet, only one episode of candidemia occurred — and was swiftly managed
• He even walked and sat upright while on ECMO, thanks to early mobilization and determination
Today, this incredible child is off ECMO, back home, and thriving.
His recovery is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when teamwork, technology, and trust come together.
Kudos to KIMS Heart & Lung Transplant and Pediatric Critical Care teams for making this miracle happen.
Hyderabad
