5-Minute Emergency Consult
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
Basics
Description
- Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) provides direct oxygenation of the blood and CO2 removal in addition to circulatory support
- Mechanism of action:
- Circulates blood by using a pump
- Oxygenates blood and removes CO2 using an oxygenator
- Cannulas are placed in central veins and can feed back into central veins (VV ECMO) or central arteries (VA ECMO)
- VV ECMO provides oxygenation and CO2 removal
- VA ECMO provides both with the addition of circulatory support that bypasses the heart directly into arterial circulation
Epidemiology
Incidence And Prevalence Estimates
- 219,301 ECMO runs reported in 2023
- 54% survival to discharge or transfer
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Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 7th ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2027. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307721/all/Extracorporeal_Membrane_Oxygenation.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2027. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307721/all/Extracorporeal_Membrane_Oxygenation. Accessed July 20, 2026.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation. (2027). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (7th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307721/all/Extracorporeal_Membrane_Oxygenation
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Wolters Kluwer; 2027. [cited 2026 July 20]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307721/all/Extracorporeal_Membrane_Oxygenation.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - ELEC
T1 - Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation
ID - 307721
ED - Barkin,Adam Z,
ED - Shayne,Philip,
ED - Rosen,Peter,
ED - Schaider,Jeffrey J,
ED - Barkin,Roger M,
ED - Hayden,Stephen R,
ED - Wolfe,Richard E,
BT - 5-Minute Emergency Consult
UR - https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307721/all/Extracorporeal_Membrane_Oxygenation
PB - Wolters Kluwer
ET - 7
DB - Emergency Central
DP - Unbound Medicine
ER -
