University Hospital - Tiffany's Time

By the time Tiffany Osborne realized something was terribly wrong, it was already too late. She had strep pneumonia, a condition most healthy 36-year-olds could overcome, but Tiffany’s immune system was compromised due to an organ transplant. Her body was failing - and failing fast. University Hospital physicians across multiple specialties developed a plan to use an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine to take over Tiffany’s heart and lung function to give her body energy and time to heal. “This type of therapy can change the playing field for people with severe pneumonia,” said Darshak Karia, MD, Medical Director of University’s Advanced Heart Failure Center and Mechanical Circulatory Support. It took months for Tiffany to fully recover, but she credits University Hospital’s physicians and staff for working together to save her life.
“I’m eternally grateful. I feel the best I’ve felt in years. It’s amazing.”