Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, commonly referred to as ECMO, is a technique that has been widely used to treat children with heart and lung issues, but over time has been gradually adapted to treat adults with similar conditions.

Primarily, ECMO is used when a person’s body is unable to properly oxygenate or disperse oxygenated blood to the heart and the body’s tissues. Through large bore catheters (tubes) that are inserted into the arm or leg, ECMO draws blood out of the heart with a specialized pump and saturates it with oxygen. The blood is then directed back into the body.

Typically only used when a condition has a low survival rate. ECMO can substantially improve outcomes, depending on the condition.

In adults, ECMO is used for:

• Cardiac Failure
• Heart transplant
• Lung transplant
• Pneumonia
• Pulmonary failure
• Severe infection
• Trauma
• Ventricular assist device implant

Types of ECMO

There are two types of ECMO. Essentially, they serve the same function, but funnel blood back into the body in two different directions.

• VA ECMO – Sends oxygenated blood into the arteries, which takes blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.
• VV ECMO – Transports oxygenated blood through veins, which moves blood from the body’s tissues to the heart.

What are the risks of ECMO?

With ECMO most issues revolve around a complication with a person’s blood. The main risks involve:

• Bleeding
• Blood clot formation
• Infection
• Transfusion problems