ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation): Giving your heart or lungs time to heal

ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) is a type of life support that temporarily takes over the work of the heart and lungs. It gives these organs time to rest and heal when they're not working properly. If the heart or lungs do not recovery, UW Health also offers advanced options like heart and lung transplant programs. For patients with severe heart programs, a specialized cardiogenic shock program helps identify the situation and brings together a multi-disciplinary team of experts to respond rapidly to the situation and assess the need for other mechanical circulatory support devices.

Specialists are available 24-hours a day at the bedside. Our Med Flight team plays a key role in ECMO care. They can bring specialized providers directly to patients at other hospitals to start ECMO therapy and safely transport patients who are already receiving ECMO.

ECMO therapy is provided for newborns, children and adults with life-threatening conditions that affect the heart or lungs. ECMO may be considered for patients with:

Severe lung conditions, such as:

• ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome)

• Viral infections (e.g., COVID-19, Influenza)

• Bacterial or fungal pneumonia (e.g., Blastomycosis)

• Traumatic lung injury

• Inhalation of smoke or harmful substances

• Pulmonary embolism

• Acute asthma attacks

• Pulmonary hypertension

Severe heart conditions, including:

• Cardiac arrest

• Heart failure

• Myocarditis (heart inflammation)

• Cardiogenic shock

• Congenital heart defects (e.g., CDH, PPHN)

• Drug overdose affecting the heart

• Sepsis with heart or lung failure

• Hypothermia

• As a bridge to heart or lung transplant

If you or a loved one needs ECMO, here’s what typically happens:

• The patient is sedated, and tubes (called cannulas) are placed into large blood vessels—usually in the neck, groin, or chest.

• Blood is gently pumped out of the body into a machine that adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. The blood is then warmed and returned to the body.

A dedicated team of specially trained providers is at the bedside around the clock. This team includes:

• ECMO specialists

• Critical care nurses

• Perfusionists

• Intensivists (ICU doctors)

• ECMO surgeons

• Other specialists as needed, including pulmonologists, neonatologists, cardiologists, etc.

Patients are also provided rehabilitation support with physical and occupational therapists helping patients stay as active as possible. UW Health also offers social and emotional support for patients and their families.

Our expert team includes cardiothoracic surgeons, perfusionists, respiratory therapists and registered nurses. They work closely with heart, lung and critical care doctors to help you get the best possible care.

We offer more than just in-hospital ECMO care:

• ECPR Program

  For patients in cardiac arrest, we offer ECPR (Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)—a rapid-response ECMO program that can provide life-saving support when traditional CPR isn’t enough. We work closely with local EMS teams, offering training and coordination to ensure fast, effective care in the field.

• Mobile ECMO Team

  Our expert team can travel to other hospitals to start ECMO therapy and safely transport patients back to UW Health for continued care.

• ECMO Transport

  We can also receive patients who are already on ECMO from other hospitals and bring them to our location for specialized treatment.