ECMO is a life support system that temporarily takes over the work of the heart or lungs, providing life support to the patient.

ECMO is used when regular treatments do not work. ECMO devices do not cure heart or lung disease. They only provide time for the patient's heart or lungs to heal.

An ECMO pump draws unoxygenated blood from a vein and pushes it into the machine's artificial lung, or oxygen machine. This is where carbon dioxide is removed from the blood and oxygen is added. This is a color change because the dark blood, which does not have oxygen, turns bright red when oxygen is added. The red blood is warmed before it is returned to the patient from the oxygen machine.

Because ECMO also helps the patient's lungs work, healthcare providers who care for the ECMO machine can lower the ventilator's settings to allow the lungs to rest and recover. The ECMO device can usually reduce the medications used to help the heart and lungs work.