BUFFALO, N.Y. — A man who was hospitalized in Western New York after being exposed to a highly toxic gas becomes the first person to be successfully treated using extracorporeal membrane oxidization (ECMO) life support therapy.
Thomas Spina, 56, was exposed to phosgene gas while at work. He was transported to Mercy Hospital on May 15 for treatment.
Mercy Hospital says medical staff used ECMO life support therapy, a machine that takes over the function of the heart and lungs when a patient’s organs are too weak or sick to function properly, to save his life…