Sadly this year Nicola passed away after a long struggle with her health. Many of the lads who knew the family closely have come up with the idea of doing something in memory of Nicola whilst also trying to raise money for the ECMO unit in Wythenshawe for all their hard work looking after Nicola.

Who are ECMO and what is it they do?

The ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) unit uses a cutting edge technique to take over patients’ heart and lung functions to allow these organs to recover.

The treatment works by pumping a patient’s blood through an oxygenator (artificial lung) outside of their body. This necessitates placing some large tubes (cannulae) into some of the veins (or sometimes arteries) in the neck or in the groin.

The ECMO unit is one of only five adult centres in the UK and, in addition to MFT, only one other hospital in the country offering an ECMO service also has a transplant unit. This means patients with severe heart or lung failure can be quickly transferred to the ECMO unit for life-saving support. It also means seriously injured patients attending our A&E and Major Burns Unit have access to some of the most advanced cardiorespiratory (heart and lung) treatment in the western world on-site.

Services/Treatment

Patients with illnesses such as pneumonia and swine flu can be so unwell that, despite being treated in an Intensive Care Unit, the team caring for them reaches the limit of what they can do to help. Our team is available 24/7 to travel to hospitals all over the North West and sometimes as far afield as Ireland, Devon, and Glasgow, to treat patients who are quickly deteriorating. The ECMO team start these patients on ECMO treatment in the referring ICU and bring them back to MFT.

Patients needing ECMO care often arrive at the hospital unconscious. They are kept sedated during their time on ECMO, sometimes for up to several weeks, to give them the best chance of recovery. Once their organs have recovered enough, they are brought back to consciousness in the Intensive Care Unit.

ECMO Family Support Group

The experience of having ECMO treatment following a critical illness can be dramatic and distressing for patients and their families. The ECMO Family Support Group is the UK’s first family-led support community for these patients, set up by the unit and the family of a former patient, Sam Roden.

While many patients make an excellent physical recovery thanks to the ECMO Unit, side-effects of their injuries can include hallucinations, flashbacks and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Patients can also struggle to accept their memory gaps from time spent sedated during treatment. The group offers virtual and telephone help to families of critically ill patients who are going through ECMO treatment, and during their recovery.

On the 13th September we will be partaking in the annual bike ride from Manchester to Blackpool. We set off at around 9am and should hopefully all arrive in one piece around 1pm.

Any donations would be hugely appreciated and will be helping other people and families who are in a simialr situation as Nicola during difficult times.

Thanks, Matt