Samsung Seoul Hospital Achieves 2,000 Cases of 'ECMO' Treatment

Successful First Domestic Mobile ECMO in 2003
Replacing Heart and Lung Functions in Emergencies
Widely Used for COVID-19 Treatment
67% of Treated Patients 'Discharged Alive'

Exterior view of Samsung Seoul Hospital. [Photo by Samsung Seoul Hospital]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Samsung Medical Center announced on the 16th that it has surpassed 2,000 cases of 'ECMO' treatment. ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) is a device that removes blood from the patient's body in emergency situations such as cardiopulmonary failure or cardiac arrest, supplies the lacking oxygen, and returns the blood back into the patient's body. It essentially takes over the role of the heart and lungs outside the body until the patient recovers normal cardiopulmonary function.

Samsung Medical Center is a pioneer of ECMO treatment in Korea. In 2003, former cardiac surgery professor Lee Young-tak (currently Director of the Cardiovascular Center at Incheon Sejong Hospital) was the first in Korea to use a mobile ECMO device to treat patients with cardiopulmonary failure and cardiac arrest, after which ECMO gradually became more widely used domestically. Recently, its use in treating COVID-19 patients has increased public awareness compared to before.

Over the past 20 years, Samsung Medical Center has been dedicated to advancing ECMO treatment. In 2014, a multidisciplinary team consisting of cardiac surgery, cardiology, critical care medicine, and perfusionists was formed to establish a collaborative ECMO treatment system. Additionally, investments were increased to improve the 'treatment environment for severe and emergency patients,' including the modification of mobile intensive care unit vehicles dedicated to ECMO. As a result, at the recent Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery conference, Samsung Medical Center reported a 67% survival rate for patients treated with ECMO due to COVID-19, earning recognition as a world leader in ECMO treatment.

Furthermore, Professor Sung Ki-ik of cardiac surgery established the ECMO research society in 2014 and served as its inaugural president, contributing to raising the level of ECMO treatment in Korea. Efforts are also being made to domestically produce ECMO treatment equipment, which has been dependent on imports. Professor Cho Yang-hyun of cardiac surgery is leading a project to domestically produce mobile ECMO devices as part of the government-wide full-cycle medical device development project. Starting next year, exploratory clinical trials using domestically produced ECMO equipment are scheduled to begin. If the domestic development of ECMO succeeds, it is expected to contribute to building a medical safety net that protects citizens' lives in crisis situations such as disasters like COVID-19 or large-scale accidents.

Professor Yang Jung-hoon, head of the cardiogenic shock team at Samsung Medical Center and a specialist in critical care medicine and cardiology, stated, "Thanks to ECMO treatment, the treatment level for cardiogenic shock patients has greatly improved, and many hospitals are establishing treatment systems modeled after Samsung Medical Center, which is rewarding." He emphasized, "Patients receiving ECMO are the most critical, so a multidisciplinary approach is essential, and as many studies show that intensive management by critical care specialists leads to improved survival rates, support from critical care professionals is also necessary."

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