Doctors from the Pulmonary Medicine and Interventional Pulmonology departments at MedStar Hospitals in Tadepalli saved the life of a 51-year-old thyroid cancer patient by performing an ECMO-assisted tracheal stenting procedure.

According to a press release by the MedStar Hospital on Tuesday (June 16, 2026), the patient had previously undergone an emergency tracheostomy at another hospital. However, severe narrowing of the trachea below the tracheostomy site led to progressively worsening breathing difficulties.

Following episodes of hypoxic seizures due to inadequate oxygenation, the patient visited Medstar Hospitals for advanced management. A bronchoscopic evaluation performed by doctors here revealed near-complete obstruction of the vocal cords caused by severe edema, leaving only a pinhole-sized airway. In addition, the tracheostomy segment was found to be almost completely occluded, the release said.

Given the extremely high risk of complete airway collapse upon removal of the tracheostomy tube, the medical team decided to initiate Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) support prior to intervention. Once the patient was stabilised on ECMO support, the tracheostomy tube was removed and, the doctors successfully deployed a tracheal stent, restoring airway patency.

Following completion of the procedure, the patient was successfully weaned off ECMO in the operating theatre itself. The patient is currently recovering well, said Sai Teja Pavirala, MD, DM, Head of Pulmonary Medicine & Interventional Pulmonology.