Over 8,500 people experience cardiac arrest each year
Every second counts and for every minute a patient is in cardiac arrest, the mortality increases by 2.5%
Only approximately 10% of heart attack sufferers will survive.
What Is ECMO And Why Is It Important?
ECMO, also known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is a form of life support.
ECMO has been around for many years but until now has exclusively been used to support very sick patients in intensive care. Most recently, it has been used to help patients recover from a severe COVID-19 infection.
Without immediate medical help and even with the use of a defibrillator, only around 10 per cent of heart attack sufferers will survive. In a select group of patients, however, ECMO has been shown to improve cardiac arrest survival to approximately 50 per cent.
How You Can Help
This lifesaving and cutting-edge form of support is only available at a few hospitals in NSW. The ECMO CPR program is in its infancy at Westmead, however it has so far saved three lives in the first six months of the program at Westmead Hospital, including 28-year-old Chaikel Muksin.
Will you support the ECMO service at Westmead Hospital, to continue delivering this service that has helped people like Chaikel, restart his heart and ensure he could recover and live to tell the tale?
With your support, we can make a difference for people experiencing cardiac arrest and require further assistance during their recovery.
