Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)

UMass Memorial Health is the only hospital system in Central Massachusetts  offering extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This lifesaving technology is available at our emergency department and intensive care unit (ICU) at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. We also offer urgent ECMO consultations for patients at other UMass Memorial hospitals, providing Life Flight air transportation if needed.

What Is ECMO?  

ECMO is a life-support device that does the job of your heart and lungs when they aren’t working correctly. The machine pulls blood out of your body, adding oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. Then, it pumps the blood back into your body so oxygenated blood can reach your cells. ECMO doesn’t treat heart or lung conditions — it provides temporary support for these organs so they can rest as you recover from a serious illness, injury or surgery.

What Happens During the ECMO Procedure? 

A cardiothoracic surgeon and interventional cardiologist perform the ECMO placement procedure:

1. Using ultrasound or X-ray guidance, they insert tubes called cannulas through small incisions in your chest, neck or groin.
2. The cannulas remove blood from your veins and send it through tubes to an oxygenator machine.
3. The cannulas then return the blood to your body through veins or arteries, depending on your needs.

When Is ECMO Used?  

ECMO provides short-term heart and lung support for cardiac conditions such as:

• Cardiac arrest
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation)

ECMO is also used to treat lung conditions such as:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Cystic fibrosis
• Infections such as COVID-19, influenza or pneumonia
• Interstitial lung disease
• Pulmonary embolism
• Respiratory failure
• Sepsis
• Severe asthma

In addition, ECMO helps support people waiting for heart or lung transplant surgery or a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). We may also use a heart-lung machine, called cardiopulmonary bypass, during major procedures such as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). A heart-lung machine works like ECMO but is only used during surgery.