Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)

Date Updated: 10/14/2026

Overview

In extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), blood is pumped outside of the body to a heart-lung machine. The machine takes out carbon dioxide, warms the blood and sends oxygen-rich blood back to the body. Blood flows from the right side of the heart to the heart-lung machine. It's then warmed and sent back to the body.

ECMO lets blood go around the heart and lungs. This allows the heart and lungs to rest and heal.

ECMO is a form of extracorporeal life support (ECLS). It's used for life-threatening heart and lung conditions. ECMO may be used in care for COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and other infections.

Why it's done

ECMO may be used to help people who have conditions that cause the heart or lungs to fail. It also may be used for people who are waiting for a heart transplant or lung transplant or for those who just had a transplant. Sometimes it's used when other life support measures haven't worked.

ECMO does not treat or cure diseases. But it can give short-term help when the body can't give the tissues enough oxygen and blood flow.

Some heart conditions in which ECMO may be used include:

Complications from a heart transplant.
Heart attack, also called myocardial infarction.
Heart muscle disease, also called cardiomyopathy.
Heart that can't pump enough blood, called cardiogenic shock.
Low body temperature, called hypothermia.
A serious infection-related illness, also called sepsis.
Swelling and irritation of the heart muscle, called myocarditis.

Some lung conditions in which ECMO may be used include:

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Blood clot that blocks and stops blood flow to an artery in the lung, called pulmonary embolism.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Fetus breathing in waste products in the womb, called meconium aspiration.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
High blood pressure in the lungs, called pulmonary hypertension.
Hole in the muscle between the chest and the belly area, called congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
Influenza, also called flu.
Pneumonia.
Respiratory failure.
Severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis.
Trauma.

Risks

Possible risks of ECMO include:

Bleeding.
Blood clots.
Blood clotting diseases.
Infection.
Loss of blood supply in hands, feet or legs, called limb ischemia.
Seizures.
Stroke.

How you prepare

ECMO is used when a person needs life support after surgery or during a serious illness. A healthcare professional decides when it may be helpful. If you need ECMO, your healthcare team, including trained respiratory therapists, prepare you for the procedure.

What you can expect

A healthcare professional puts a thin, soft tube, called a cannula, into a vein to take blood out of the body. Another tube goes into a vein or artery to send warmed blood with oxygen in it back into your body. You get other medicines, including sedatives, to make you comfortable during ECMO.

Depending on your condition, you may need ECMO for a few days to a few weeks. Your healthcare team talks with you or your family about what to expect.

Results

ECMO results vary. Your healthcare team can tell you how helpful ECMO may be for you.