Banner Good Sam machine that imitates lungs saves patients from cardiac, respiratory failure
PHOENIX (June 16, 2010) – Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center is unveiling the use of a life-saving treatment for adult patients in respiratory or cardiac distress, called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).
For years, the treatment has been used primarily in premature infants and pediatric patients to help under-developed lungs function. Now the advancement is being used successfully in adults after physicians discovered that young patients were not the only ones who could benefit from it.
“This treatment was shown to have a significant impact in the outcomes of adult patients suffering from the effects of H1N1 in late 2009,” said Orazio Amabile, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at Banner Good Samaritan. “The ECMO machine is able to imitate the function of the lungs—removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen back into the bloodstream. We are confident that it will save the lives of adult patients in cardiac or respiratory failure.”
Use of this treatment can also help some patients avoid the use of ventilators to assist with breathing, as ventilators can cause damage to lungs. A select group of nurses and physicians at Good Sam trained for two months in order to provide Valley patients with this life-saving treatment.
About Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center
Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center has been providing medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. Banner Good Samaritan is owned and operated by Phoenix-based Banner Health, a nonprofit organization. The hospital was named to the 2009-’10 U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” list for Gynecology, Heart & Heart Surgery and Kidney Disorders. Banner Good Samaritan has been recognized as a Magnet™ facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the highest honor a hospital can earn for its nursing care and practices.
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