What is ecmo stand for

The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization ELSO is an international consortium of healthcare professionals and scientists who are dedicated to the development and evaluation of novel therapies to support failing organs — including ECMO. There are two types of ECMO — veno-venous, which only supports the lungs, and veno-arterial, which supports both the lungs and the heart.

Between one and three cannulas are used to connect an ECMO circuit to a patient. A surgeon will make a small cut, usually on the right side of the neck, and feed the tube through the cut into the jugular vein. A second tube is sometimes inserted through the same cut into the carotid artery, another vessel in the neck. The tubes are then connected to a machine that oxygenates the blood. BMC Anesthesiol. Extracorporeal life support during cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes.

Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. Normal Respiratory Rates in Adults and Children. Overview of Clinical Cardiac Perfusion Careers. What Are the Symptoms and Causes of Hypophosphatasia? Endotracheal Tube Definition, Purpose, and Procedure. Capillary Structure and Function in the Body.

Is It Pink Eye? What Causes Barrel Chest? When Pneumonia Is Most Deadly. ECMO is a therapy for people who have serious forms of heart and lung disease. The machine adds oxygen to the blood and then pumps the oxygen-rich blood back through the body. The therapy provides time for the lungs or heart to rest and recover while the disease is treated.

ECMO can be provided for people of all ages who have illnesses which severely impact the function of the lungs or heart, such as:. People with severe lung or heart disease who are waiting for a transplant may also be given ECMO. Discuss these risks with your doctor, and be sure to ask questions if you are unsure of anything. Whilst you are asleep, nutrition and medications are given through tubes to prevent blood clots and infections, keep you comfortable, and help support your body and its functions.

ECMO can be used for days, weeks or on rare occasions months, depending on your condition. The VA ECMO is connected to both a vein and an artery and is used when there are problems with both the heart and lungs. The VV ECMO is connected to one or more veins, usually near the heart, and is used when the problem is only in the lungs. USCF is also now using a smaller portable ECMO device that is light enough to be carried by one person and can be transported in an ambulance or helicopter, making it possible to provide ECMO relief in emergency cases.

Continue reading. Being placed on ECMO requires a surgical procedure but it is usually done in a patient's room. The patient is sedated and given pain medication and an anti-coagulant to minimize blood clotting.

A surgeon, assisted by an operating room team, inserts the ECMO catheters into either an artery or veins. An x-ray is then taken to ensure the tubes are in the right place. Usually a patient on the ECMO pump will also be on a ventilator, which helps the lungs to heal.

While on ECMO, the patient will be monitored by specially trained nurses and respiratory therapists, as well as the surgeon and surgical team. Since you will be sedated and have a breathing tube in place, supplemental nutrition will be provided either intravenously or though a nasal-gastric tube.