New specialized equipment and training at the Alberta Children’s Hospital is being used to save children, when all else fails.
The equipment is called Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS). It takes over the function of the heart and lungs of a child who is gravely ill.
“Really and truly, it is a heroic intervention, it is a last resort and we will only place the child on ECLS when there is no other option,” Dr. Jaime Blackwood said.
Madison Brunet was taken to the emergency department with what was believed to be a troublesome cold, but it was much worse.
“Unfortunately for Madison, things progressed for the worst and we weren’t able to support her using our conventional medical interventions,” Dr. Blackwood said.
The call was made for ECLS and the emergency team scrambled into action.
“It’s terrifying, she looked so tiny in the room with all of those people and all that equipment. I mean, you just hope, because you don’t know what’s going to happen” Lisa Brunet, Madison’s mom, said.
The intervention saved Madison’s life.
She’s one of 27 lives saved since the hospital received the ECLS equipment.