Mangaluru: A 16-year-old girl has made a remarkable recovery after battling life-threatening complications following emergency surgery for a burst appendix. She was brought to KMC Hospital, BR Ambedkar Circle, in critical condition, and placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), an advanced heart-and-lung life-support system, for eight days. After 45 days of treatment and rehabilitation, she was discharged and returned home with her family.The girl had initially undergone emergency surgery at another hospital for a burst appendix. Following the procedure, she developed systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), a severe reaction in which the immune system becomes excessively activated and can damage vital organs.Her condition subsequently deteriorated, resulting in a cardiac arrest. Doctors performed six rounds of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to restore her circulation. During the cardiac arrest, she also suffered a hypoxic brain injury caused by reduced oxygen supply to the brain. Her heart function declined significantly after resuscitation, necessitating advanced life support.Recognising the severity of her condition, the hospital team, led by Dr Dattatray Prabhu, head and consultant, critical care, and Dr Swathi Rao, paediatric intensivist, transferred her to the hospital while she was on ECMO support.ECMO is a specialised heart-and-lung support system in which blood is temporarily taken outside the body, oxygenated and returned to the bloodstream. It assists the heart in maintaining circulation, providing vital time for the heart to recover during critical illness.Dr Dattatray Prabhu said, “The girl was brought to us in an extremely critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest and complications following emergency surgery. She remained on ECMO for eight days under continuous monitoring. Once her heart function improved, we were able to gradually wean her off the support. The next challenge was helping her recover from the effects of prolonged critical illness, which required coordinated care from multiple teams.”Under the care of Dr Narasimha Pai, head and consultant, cardiology, her heart function gradually improved and she was successfully weaned off ECMO. The ECMO tubes were subsequently removed by CTVS surgeons Dr Madhav Kamath and Dr Iresh Shetty.Although she gradually regained consciousness, she developed critical illness myopathy, severe muscle weakness caused by prolonged critical illness and intensive care treatment. The condition was managed by neurologist Dr Rohit Pai.Dr Swathi Rao said, “Recovery after a prolonged ICU stay is a gradual process, particularly for children who have been critically ill. Our focus was not only on stabilising her condition, but also on helping her regain consciousness, strength, nutrition and mobility. Physiotherapy, nutritional support and continuous monitoring played an important role in her recovery. Her progress gave the entire team immense encouragement.”Pramod Kunder, cluster director, KMC Hospital, said an appeal for financial assistance received widespread attention on social media, prompting several schools and members of the public to come forward and support the girl’s treatment.
