SRMS Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), Bareilly, has launched the first Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) facility between Delhi and Lucknow, significantly strengthening advanced critical care services across North India. The introduction of the life support technology is expected to provide timely intervention for patients suffering from severe heart and lung failure, eliminating the need to travel hundreds of kilometres to metropolitan centres during medical emergencies. The milestone positions SRMS IMS as one of the few tertiary care institutions in North India offering comprehensive ECMO support.

ECMO, often regarded as the highest level of life-support technology, temporarily performs the functions of the heart and lungs when conventional treatments such as ventilators and medications are no longer effective. The newly established ECMO programme at SRMS IMS will cater to critically ill patients with conditions including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), severe pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19 complications, cardiogenic shock, myocarditis, pulmonary embolism, post-cardiac surgery complications and advanced heart failure. The hospital has deployed a dedicated multidisciplinary ECMO team comprising intensivists, cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, perfusionists, anaesthesiologists and critical care nurses to deliver round the clock patient management.

Established under the Shri Ram Murti Smarak (SRMS) Trust, SRMS Institute of Medical Sciences has emerged as a leading tertiary care and teaching hospital in Uttar Pradesh, offering advanced services across multiple specialties. The addition of ECMO further expands its critical care capabilities and complements recent investments in organ transplantation, minimally invasive surgery, advanced oncology and cardiac sciences. According to the hospital, the facility aims to improve survival outcomes for patients requiring highly specialised life support while reducing dependence on referral centres in Delhi and other metropolitan cities.

The launch comes at a time when the burden of critical illnesses and cardiovascular diseases continues to rise in India. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), cardiovascular diseases account for nearly 28% of all deaths in the country, while severe respiratory illnesses remain a leading cause of intensive care admissions. ECMO has become an essential rescue therapy in advanced critical care, particularly for patients with reversible cardiac or pulmonary failure, and its availability closer to patients can significantly reduce treatment delays and improve survival rates.

Healthcare experts believe the introduction of the region’s first ECMO facility between Delhi and Lucknow marks a major advancement in critical care infrastructure for Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states. By making one of the world’s most advanced life support technologies accessible in Bareilly, SRMS Institute of Medical Sciences is expected to strengthen emergency care, improve patient outcomes and reinforce its position as a leading centre for advanced tertiary healthcare in North India.