PHOENIX - A 35-year-old Army veteran in Arizona who is suffering from COVID-19 is in need of a life-saving treatment.Currently, several hospitals in the Phoenix area are using ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machines to treat the most severe COVID cases, but all machines are being used, and there is a waiting list.According to the family of Brian Yazzie, he only has a few more days before his window of opportunity for ECMO treatment runs out.Currently, Yazzie, who served three tours with the Army, is in the VA Medical Center, and on a respirator.
He has been on an ECMO waiting list for seven days. Originally, Dec. 23 was the last day Yazzie would be considered a qualified candidate for ECMO treatment, according to a doctor.