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| This post was peer reviewed. Click to learn more. |
Author: Tim Montrief, MD, MPH
Emergency Medicine Resident, PGY-2
Jackson Memorial Hospital
Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), more accurately known as Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) is a type of prolonged mechanical cardiopulmonary support that began in the 1970s. Its technology, indications, and usage have rapidly evolved over the last two decades; it has now become an essential tool in the care of critically ill adults and children refractory to conventional management who have potentially reversible causes of respiratory/cardiac failure. With the development of ECMO programs across the nation, this technology is making its way to an emergency department (ED) near you.
