ECMO therapy helps patients who have life-threatening pulmonary (lung) or heart failure. Because their heart and lungs are too weak to pump blood and distribute oxygen, their lives are at risk. We use an ECMO machine to distribute blood and oxygen to keep these patients alive.
What is ECMO?
In a healthy person, the heart and lungs work together to circulate blood throughout the body. Extracorporeal means “outside the body.” When these organs are failing, ECMO takes over that work. The ECMO pump pulls blood out of the body into an artificial lung. The machine supplies oxygen to the blood and removes carbon dioxide. The blood, now a healthy bright red, is warmed and returned to the patient.
All patients receive 24/7 medical attention from a team of trained, experienced specialists. We deliver ECMO therapy at the patient’s bedside, where it is quicker and safer for the patient.
The team includes:
- Critical Care physicians
- Cardiac surgeons
- Intensive Care nurses
- Heart specialists
- Lung specialists
A bridge to recovery
Doctors often refer to ECMO as a “bridge” therapy because it helps a patient move through a crisis. It provides support until the patient is strong enough for the next stage of treatment, which could be:
- Healing at the hospital
- Recovery at home
- A mechanical heart support device implant
- A heart transplant
Within AHN, our objective is providing patients with the right care, at the right place, at the right time. Over the years, through a great deal of research, training and experience, doctors at Allegheny General Hospital have dramatically improved the survival rates. Today, more critically ill patients are recovering well after ECMO therapy.
With appropriate resources, patients will have greater access to evaluation and intervention and we can continue to expand the specialized care for our patients.
AHN is grateful to you for your support of its mission and, specifically, the ECMO Program.
