Sergio’s lifesaving 100 days on ECMO

Just days later he was hospitalised with the virus, an ordeal which would last seven months and include a period of over 100 days hooked up to an ECMO machine in The Alfred’s ICU.

Sergio remembers feeling dizzy while showering at the hospital and calling for help.

The rest is a blur, however as the virus attacked his body, doctors at The Alfred worked tirelessly to save his life.

Alfred Health intensive care specialist David Pilcher said Sergio’s situation was so dire that the team had no choice but to place him on ECMO after his lungs failed.
“We typically only use ECMO for patients whose lungs are very damaged," Dr Pilcher said.

"At this point, only an ECMO machine can get enough oxygen into the body. However, it’s then a matter of time to see if the lungs can recover before some complication kicks in.”

“The machine took his blood, added oxygen to it, then pumped the oxygen-rich blood through his body as his heart and lungs would normally do.”

For over 100 days Sergio remained connected to the ECMO machine, traditionally used to treat patients with severely damaged lungs from conditions such as pneumonia.

While the situation was dire, as time went by Sergio gradually got stronger.

After seven long months, he was finally discharged from the ICU, accompanied by cheering doctors and nurses who spent countless hours caring for him.

“The ICU staff are truly an amazing group of people, some of them just incredible… they helped me so much in my recovery," Sergio said.

"I am so grateful."