FORT SMITH, Ark. — The Fort Smith Baptist Health's new portable heart and lung bypass machine is "a life-saving piece of equipment," according to Dr. Hussam Hawamdeh.
The Medical Director of Structural Cardiology at Fort Smith Baptist Health said the new machine gives patients with severe injuries a better chance at life.
"So this machine helps us pretty much take the job of the heart and belong completely out of the body, oxygenate the blood, pump it back, make sure the kidneys are getting good blood, the heart is getting good blood," Dr. Hawamdeh said. "And hopefully, we can figure out why the lungs and the heart are not doing okay, fix that problem, and make sure that the patients, meanwhile, continue to be alive."
This machine has been around for the last 60 years, but it didn't gain real popularity until the pandemic. Since then, hospitals have been working to get them all over the world.
“Previously there were limited to what we call tertiary referral centers," Dr. Hawamdeh said. "So it's like very big hospitals, more than 1000-bed hospitals and university centers, wow we're in a situation where people like me who train at a COVID time are very comfortable using this machine. And we can start bringing this technology to smaller hospitals.”
This machine also helps doctors when surgery doesn't go as planned.
“Knowing that we have this machine here, this changes the situation because now we can be more aggressive with what we offer the patients locally because we have a safety net. We know that even if things go south, we can still take care of patients, get them to safety, and fix the problem.” Dr. Hawamdeh said.
This is the fourth machine in the state. This machine in Fort Smith is helping patients get the treatment they need close to home without having to go to larger hospitals around the country.
“For us to be able to say your family doesn't have to miss work. Your kids don't have to miss school. We can take care of you here and we'll always make everything short. We do everything we can to make sure you're safe and to take care of you and your family. I don't think you can put a price tag on that,” Dr. Hawamdeh said.
This machine will only be used in emergencies and Dr. Hawamdeh says he estimates it will be used around 8 times per year.
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