Secunderabad doctors save 32-year-old doctor with severe influenza-induced ARDS

Doctors at KIMS Hospitals in Secunderabad have successfully treated and saved a 32-year-old female doctor from Maharashtra who developed severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) following influenza pneumonia. The medical achievement, which involved a high-risk overnight transfer and advanced Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support, was announced by the hospital on Monday, 13 July 2026, following the patient's recovery and discharge.

The patient, who is a practicing doctor in Solapur, Maharashtra, was initially admitted to a local hospital in her home city after contracting influenza pneumonia. As her lungs began to fail, she was placed on a standard mechanical ventilator. Despite receiving intensive care at the Solapur facility, her health deteriorated rapidly. Further medical investigations confirmed she had developed severe ARDS, which led to complete respiratory failure.

With standard ventilator support proving insufficient to keep her alive, the KIMS ECMO retrieval team was mobilized from Hyderabad. Led by Dr. Vamsi Krishna, the specialized team travelled from Secunderabad to Solapur to intervene. Upon reaching the referring hospital in Maharashtra, the team successfully initiated advanced ECMO support, which temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs.

Once the patient was stabilized on the life-support machine, the medical team undertook a critical overnight transfer. She was transported by road from Solapur to KIMS Hospitals in Secunderabad, covering the entire distance while remaining connected to the active ECMO system.

Following her safe arrival at the Secunderabad facility, she underwent intensive treatment. She remained on both ECMO support and mechanical ventilation for nearly a week under the close supervision of a multidisciplinary team of specialists.

According to Dr. Vishal Kumar Chitikeshi, from the Clinical and Interventional Pulmonology department at KIMS Hospitals, the patient underwent a total of 25 days of intensive treatment and physical rehabilitation. After her lungs recovered, she was successfully discharged from the hospital in a stable condition.