My father is currently in surgery. The doctors are working on installing an ECMO. This is the first step. Pray that dad can stay strong during this procedure. I will provide a status in a few hours.
Thank you,
Katie
What is ECMO?
ECMO stands for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. ECMO is used only after medicine and a breathing machine (ventilator) have failed to make your loved one better. During ECMO, patients appear to be better, but you need to know that the person is still very sick. Your loved one needs the ECMO machine for life support.
The ECMO machine works for the heart and lungs. It is the same heart/lung machine used for open-heart surgery. When your loved one is placed on ECMO, blood will flow through the ECMO tubing where it receives oxygen from the machine’s lung. This happens until the heart and/or lungs are able to work on their own.
We know that all of this is very stressful for families. Please ask questions and talk with us about any concerns you may have. As you think of things, write them down at the end of the handout.
Types of ECMO
There are two types of ECMO: VA and VV. The terms VA and VV refer to the blood vessels used in the treatment.
- In VA ECMO, a tube is placed in both a vein and an artery. VA is used when there are problems with both the heart and lung. It helps the heart and lungs to rest and get better.
- In VV ECMO, one or more tubes are placed in a vein. VV is used when there are lung problems only. Sometimes, a person may start on VV and need to be switched to VA. This does not happen often.
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