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Doctors from the Pulmonary Medicine and Interventional Pulmonology departments astatine MedStar Hospitals successful Tadepalli saved the beingness of a 51-year-old thyroid crab diligent by performing an ECMO-assisted tracheal stenting procedure.
According to a property merchandise by the MedStar Hospital connected Tuesday (June 16, 2026), the diligent had antecedently undergone an exigency tracheostomy astatine different hospital. However, terrible narrowing of the trachea beneath the tracheostomy tract led to progressively worsening breathing difficulties.
Following episodes of hypoxic seizures owed to inadequate oxygenation, the diligent visited Medstar Hospitals for precocious management. A bronchoscopic valuation performed by doctors present revealed near-complete obstruction of the vocal cords caused by terrible edema, leaving lone a pinhole-sized airway. In addition, the tracheostomy conception was recovered to beryllium astir wholly occluded, the merchandise said.
Given the highly precocious hazard of implicit airway illness upon removal of the tracheostomy tube, the aesculapian squad decided to initiate Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) enactment anterior to intervention. Once the diligent was stabilised connected ECMO support, the tracheostomy conduit was removed and, the doctors successfully deployed a tracheal stent, restoring airway patency.
Following completion of the procedure, the diligent was successfully weaned disconnected ECMO successful the operating theatre itself. The diligent is presently recovering well, said Sai Teja Pavirala, MD, DM, Head of Pulmonary Medicine & Interventional Pulmonology.
