3-year-old child could not breathe independently for a month: she was saved with the help of an "artificial lung" machine
Kyiv • UNN
A three-year-old girl from Lutsk, Sasha Dragolyuk, survived severe pneumonia and spent a month on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine. She was saved thanks to the joint efforts of medics from Okhmatdyt and the Volyn Regional Medical Association.
A three-year-old girl from Lutsk was saved by doctors after she could not breathe independently for a month due to severe pneumonia, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reported on Wednesday, writes UNN.
The child could not breathe independently for over a month! A three-year-old girl nearly died from the consequences of bilateral pneumonia. The child was saved by the joint efforts of medics from Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital and the Volyn Oblast Medical Association for the Protection of Motherhood and Childhood.
As reported by the Ministry of Health, the little patient is Sasha Dragolyuk from Lutsk. In early May, the girl developed a fever, and within a few days, a cough appeared, making it difficult for the child to breathe. Local doctors diagnosed severe pneumonia.
"The girl's lungs were so affected that to help Sasha breathe at all, she was connected to a ventilator. However, when even that didn't help, it became clear: the only chance for life was ECMO. This is a device that temporarily replaces the functions of the heart and lungs," the ministry noted.
They added: there are few such devices, and even fewer medical professionals trained to work with them, in Ukraine. Lutsk specialists contacted colleagues from Kyiv – from Okhmatdyt National Children's Specialized Hospital.
"As soon as the Okhmatdyt outreach team arrived in Lutsk, they immediately connected Sasha to the ECMO machine and took her to Kyiv. Here in intensive care, the girl stayed for a month, half of which was on the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine. It helped oxygenate her body using an 'artificial lung' and stabilize the child," the Ministry of Health reported.
The child began to recover and was gradually disconnected from the device. "The girl began to breathe on her own! This allowed her to start sessions with a physical therapist while still in intensive care, and later to transfer the patient to the rehabilitation department," the Ministry of Health stated.
Currently, the girl is reported to be fully healthy and has returned home.