What does ECMO mean in PHYSIOLOGY

ECMO stands for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. It is a type of heart-lung bypass technology that provides vital functions for patients in need of critical care by acting as an artificial lung, heart, and respiratory system.

In ECMO, the patient's own blood is circulated through a device consisting of two pumps and an oxygenator which removes carbon dioxide from the blood and adds oxygen to it before returning it back to the patient's body. The pumps are designed to mimic natural human circulation and can be adjusted based on the patient's specific needs.

Patients who are suffering from severe breathing or heart failure that cannot be managed with medications or mechanical ventilation may be eligible for ECMO therapy. Usually, this includes patients in intensive care settings who have suffered cardiac arrest or trauma resulting in lack of sufficient oxygen to their organs.

The length of time a patient stays on ECMO depends on their medical condition and how quickly they improve while receiving treatment. Typically, a patient can stay on ECMO anywhere from several days to weeks depending on their exact situation.

Possible risks associated with using ECMO include bleeding problems due to anticoagulation medication, infection caused by placement of the tubes used in order to connect the machine to the body, damage caused by clotting inside of one of these tubes, stroke or other neurological complications due to reduced blood flow around certain areas of the brain which may be necessary because there limited access points into vessels great enough for placement of tubes directly into them. Additionally there could be prolonged mental confusion after leaving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation due to prolonged exposure with lower than normal levels of carbon dioxide in your blood stream.