Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is an advanced life support option and medical technique that supports heart and lung function if you're experiencing heart failure, respiratory failure or cardiogenic shock.
Pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)
Our team is here to help your child get through ECMO treatment easier, providing support and personalized care.
At Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, we use an ECMO machine to give essential life support to children with severe lung or heart disorders. Your child receives this from an experienced team committed to their well-being.
Expert advice, available 24/7
Free health-related information is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Free health-related information is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Related specialties
Learn more about our related specialties.
Our ECMO program
ECMO can affect your child in a variety of ways, but we are here to provide you both with as much information as possible, so you are well-informed as you move forward.
Our ECMO team
Our neonatal intensive care, pediatric intensive care, cardiology care and pediatric specialists collaborate to treat your child with ECMO. In addition, we might seek the expertise of other consulting physicians to be involved, including surgeons, neurologists, radiologists, pulmonologists and nephrologists.
Your child will also have a team of specially trained registered nurses (RNs), ECMO perfusionists and respiratory therapists, all guided by our pediatric doctors. Our perfusionist monitors the ECMO machine, maintaining a constant presence at your child's bedside.
How ECMO affects your child
If your child has been admitted to our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), you might be familiar with some of the equipment that monitors their health. Your child will continue to need all equipment and machines that have been monitoring their condition in PICU, and possibly additional ones. When ECMO is added to your child's care, it can seem overwhelming. We work with you to help you understand the particulars of this heart-lung bypass technique and help you become more comfortable with the idea of it.
What will my child look like on ECMO?
Children who are on the ECMO machine will often become "puffy" in appearance. The puffiness is an expected reaction to the stress their body is under. The swelling can be severe, and it may change your child's appearance. As their body begins to recover, the swelling will gradually resolve.
ECMO requires your child to be on a blood thinner. The blood thinner can cause blood to leak from their mouth, nose, IVs or chest tube sites. This is common, and the ECMO team is constantly monitoring your child and doing everything possible to minimize leaking.
Where on my child's body do you connect the tubes?
We will surgically insert two or more plastic tubes, called cannulas, into large blood vessels. These cannulas are often placed into your child's neck vessel. However, we can also insert the tubes into their leg or directly into their heart. The cannulas are then connected to the ECMO machine and used to cycle blood between your child and the machine.
Does ECMO hurt?
Your child might receive medicine for pain (opioids), stress (sedatives) and movement (muscle relaxers) before the doctor inserts the cannulas. These medications will ease your child being into a deep sleep during the procedure. The muscle relaxer wears off quickly, so we might need to continue administering this medication until they become more stable.
Commonly used ECMO terms
Our list of ECMO-related terms can help you prepare for your child's appointments, ask their doctor questions and make informed decisions about their care.
Helpful ECMO information
You might be unfamiliar with the terminology used when talking about ECMO. We are always happy to answer questions and explain any of the terms, such as:
- Activated clotting time (ACT) — A test that measures how long it takes your child's blood to clot
- Echocardiogram (ECHO) — A painless study using sound waves to determine how well your child's heart is working
- ECMO flow — The amount of blood moving through the machine and oxygenator per minute
- ECMO pump — A blood pump that functions as an artificial heart and controls how much assistance your child is getting
- Head ultrasound — A painless study using sound waves to analyze your child's brain tissue and monitor them for potential complications of head bleeds
- Heater (heat exchanger) — A device that helps regulate your child's temperature while they are on ECMO
- Hemofiltration (bladder box) — A filter placed in the ECMO machine that functions as an artificial kidney, removing extra fluid from your child's kidneys
- Oxygenator — An artificial lung that functions like your child's lungs, providing oxygen to their blood and removing carbon dioxide from it (ventilation gas)
- Trial off — A period of time where we decrease or stop the ECMO machine's operation to conduct testing that helps us determine if your child is ready to come off ECMO
- Venoarterial (VA) ECMO — Equipment that helps support your child's heart and lungs, using one cannula placed in a large vein and one placed in a large artery
- Venovenous (VV) ECMO — Equipment that helps support your child's lungs, using one or two cannulas placed in a large vein