From Near Death to Second Life: Fortis Jalandhar Doctors Use ECMO to Rescue 33-Year-Old Man After Critical Poisoning

From Near Death to Second Life: Fortis Jalandhar Doctors Use ECMO to Rescue 33-Year-Old Man After Critical Poisoning

Jalandhar, 16 January 2026: In a landmark clinical achievement for Jalandhar, Doctors at Fortis Hospital, Jalandhar have successfully saved the life of a 33-year-old man suffering from severe chemical poisoning using Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) - a first for the city. The patient, who was critically affected by Celphos, a highly toxic compound with a high mortality rate in severe cases, was placed on advanced life support with ECMO after conventional treatments proved insufficient.

The 33-year-old Male patient from Jalandhar was brought to Fortis Jalandhar in an extremely critical condition after allegedly ingesting poison. On arrival, he was in profound shock, with severe heart muscle failure, respiratory distress and multi-organ dysfunction - clinical features associated with a very low chances of survival. Conventional treatment methods were unable to stabilize his rapidly deteriorating condition. Recognizing the life-threatening severity and failure of standard therapies, the Emergency Medicine team counselled the family about initiating advanced life support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) - a specialized form of organ support used when the heart and lungs are too compromised to sustain life on their own.

ECMO is a cutting-edge therapy typically used in life-threatening conditions such as extreme poisoning, respiratory failure, cardiogenic shock, severe trauma, and as a bridge to heart or lung transplantation. With the family’s consent, the patient was immediately placed on ECMO support and managed under intensive monitoring in the ICU by a dedicated multi-disciplinary team. Over the following days, the patient showed gradual and sustained clinical improvement under comprehensive critical care. After careful assessment and step-down monitoring, he was successfully weaned off ECMO support and continued to recover. Following a 15-day Hospital stay, he was discharged in a stable and significantly improved condition - a remarkable recovery given the initial severity of his presentation.

Giving details of the case, Dr. Sheetal Garg, Senior Consultant - Anaesthesia & Critical Care, Fortis Hospital Jalandhar said, “Celphos poisoning is one of the most lethal forms of poisoning, as it releases phosphine gas that blocks cellular respiration, leading to rapid failure of the heart, lungs, and other vital organs.

There is no specific antidote and survival in severe cases is often below 30 percent. Had the patient been not revived on time, he would not have been able to survive. However, timely initiation of ECMO, which acts as an artificial heart and lungs by oxygenating and circulating blood outside the body, can significantly improve outcomes, increasing survival chances to 50–60 percent in select cases.”

Dr Ankush Mehta, Facility Director, Fortis Hospital Jalandhar said, “By employing ECMO support at a critical juncture, we stabilized the patient’s deteriorating condition and sustained his vital organ functions, ultimately enabling recovery where survival was previously unlikely. This marks the first successful use of ECMO to treat Celphos poisoning in Jalandhar and Doaba region, underscoring the growing capabilities of advanced critical care in the area. The breakthrough highlights not only the potential of ECMO in managing extreme toxicological emergencies but also Fortis Hospital’s expanding role in delivering high-end medical interventions closer to home for patients in Northwestern India.”