First patient to use charity-funded ECMO machine re-visits Hammersmith Hospital
First patient to use charity-funded ECMO machine re-visits Hammersmith Hospital
06 August 2025
After calling an ambulance, Robert was rushed to Charing Cross Hospital and diagnosed with cardiogenic shock (a condition where the heart fails to pump enough blood around the body).
Thanks to the speedy intervention of the emergency department team and duty Intensive Care Consultant Dr Chris Mason, they soon realised that he urgently needed very specialist care to survive. Robert was rushed to Hammersmith Hospital, which has a specialist cardiac unit.
It was here that Dr Louit Thakuria and his multi-disciplinary colleagues realised Robert could become the first patient to benefit from the new, charity-funded ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machines.
One of Hammersmith Hospital's ICU nurses who looked after Robert (L) with Robert.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the Hammersmith ICU has recently launched this advanced service to support patients in critical care. Transfer to regional ECMO centre was not possible in this case, as his doctors believed that his condition was too unstable to wait for a retrieval team.
The ECMO machine acts as an artificial heart and lungs, removing blood from the body, oxygenating it, and then returning it. This allows time for the patient’s own heart and lungs to recover, whilst the machine temporarily takes over all of their function.
For Robert, this technology certainly saved his life.
Robert said: “Before I called the ambulance, things had got so bad I was vomiting blood. It felt like a heavy lump of concrete was sitting on my chest.”
After being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, Robert was placed in an induced coma. His memories of that time are patchy and difficult.
He continues: “Waking up was horrible. People were asking me what time it was, where I was, whether I was in pain.
“Then the physio team came to see me and asked if I wanted to try and stand up. I don’t remember agreeing, but apparently I did.
“I ended up saying, ‘Please put me back to bed.’ Those first moments were terrifying.”
Since leaving intensive care, Robert has faced a long and challenging road to recovery.
“I had to learn to walk again. Not being able to go to the toilet by myself was humiliating,” he said.
“But on April 22nd, I took my first steps. I used a Zimmer frame and only managed less than a metre, but I broke down in tears, I was ecstatic that I could do it.”
Robert (R) with Dr Louit and clinicians on Hammersmith Hospital's ICU.
When Robert found out he had been the first patient to use the new ECMO service, he felt overwhelmed with gratitude.
“At first I didn’t really understand what the ECMO machine did, it’s quite technical. But now I’m incredibly grateful. That machine helped save my life, alongside the incredible staff here.”
Robert expressed his gratitude in being able to come back to visit Hammersmith’s ICU and the team, now that he’s feeling better.
Dr Louit Thakuria said: “It has been a great privilege for our team to care for Robert, and to see his remarkable recovery. He is alive as a direct result of the life-saving therapy provided by our pilot ECMO service that has been generously supported by Imperial Health Charity.
“When I first met Robert, his heart was incredibly weak, and his life was in immediate danger. All other conventional treatments to stabilise his condition had failed, and his time was very limited. By quickly utilising our new ECMO machine, we were able to keep him alive by providing complete support for his failing circulation, giving time for his own heart to recover.
“His story and recovery serve as an inspirational example of what is possible with ECMO therapy in our sickest patients. We are so incredibly grateful that The Charity has made this possible, and we hope that ECMO will allow us to help other patients like Robert with severe cardiogenic shock.”
Robert (L) shakes hands with the Anesthetist who looked after him during his stay on the ICU.
Over the next six months, the Trust will be evaluating the impact of the new ECMO service at Hammersmith Hospital, in order to make the case for embedding it as a sustainable NHS service.
You can help save more lives
Thanks to donations from supporters like you, Imperial Health Charity continues to fund vital medical equipment and services across our hospitals.
If you would like to make a gift to support our critical care team, you can do so here.
