Why it's done

ECMO may be used to help people who are very ill with conditions of the heart and lungs, or who are waiting for or recovering from a heart transplant. It may be an option when other life support measures haven't worked. ECMO does not treat or cure a disease, but can help you when your body temporarily can't provide your tissues with enough oxygen.

Some heart conditions in which ECMO may be used include:

• Heart attack (acute myocardial infarction)
• Heart muscle disease (decompensated cardiomyopathy)
• Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
• Life-threatening response to infection (sepsis)
• Low body temperature (severe hypothermia)
• Post-transplant complications
• Shock caused by the heart not pumping enough blood (cardiogenic shock)

Some lung (pulmonary) conditions in which ECMO may be used include:

• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
• Blockage in a pulmonary artery in the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Defect in the diaphragm (congenital diaphragmatic hernia)
• Fetus inhales waste products in the womb (meconium aspiration)
• Flu (influenza)
• Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
• High blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension)
• Pneumonia
• Respiratory failure
• Trauma