Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation is a technique in which a patient’s blood is withdrawn from a large vein in the body, passed through a pumping mechanism and a device that both adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. The blood is then returned to the patient’s circulatory system where it is circulated throughout the body. This system functions as both heart (for pumping) and lungs (adding oxygen to and removing carbon dioxide from) the lungs. ECMO is typically a short-term treatment protocol for patients in respiratory failure resulting from such things as infection, pneumonia, trauma, or smoke inhalation.