Extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation (ECMO)
for adults at Royal Brompton Hospital
Contents
Introduction
What is ECMO?
Is ECMO effective?
More information
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Introduction
This leaflet gives general information about extracorporeal
membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to relatives and friends of
patients who may benefit from this treatment at a specialist
centre. It does not replace the need for personal advice from a
qualified healthcare professional. Please ask us if you have any
questions.
Sometimes when patients are very unwell our doctors and
nurses cannot communicate with them about their condition
and need to talk to their relatives or friends instead. We
appreciate that you cannot always be at their bedside.
However, it would be very helpful if you could be available to
speak with the ECMO team when they arrive. The nurse or
doctor caring for your relative or friend will tell you when the
ECMO team will arrive to take them to the specialist centre.
What is ECMO?
ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and
can be used to treat adults and babies with severe lung and
heart problems.
During ECMO, a machine pumps the patients blood from a
large vein through an artificial lung (the membrane) outside
the body (extracorporeal). This artificial lung adds oxygen to
the blood and removes the waste carbon dioxide. The patients
blood is then returned to their body into another large vein
near the heart. It is very similar to the heart-lung machine that
is used for patients having an operation on their heart.
Is ECMO effective?
ECMO is most often used in paediatric intensive care units and
has been proven to be very effective in treating newborn
babies with severe breathing problems.
A study carried out at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, showed
that ECMO also works successfully in some adults. The study
monitored patients with very severe lung problems and
showed that patients who were moved from local hospitals to
a specialist ECMO centre were more likely to survive without
severe disability.
About 70 per cent of patients with severe breathing difficulties
in intensive care who received ECMO during the swine flu
pandemic survived. This is more than would have survived
without ECMO.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
has produced a summary of the benefits and risks of ECMO. If
there is not a copy with this leaflet, please ask.
More information
If you have more questions, please ask the doctors and nurses
looking after the patient. They will do their best to find out
the answers.
The following people look after the ECMO service:
If you have concerns about any aspect of the service you have
received in hospital and feel unable to talk to those people
responsible for your care, call PALS on 020 7349 7715 or email
pals@rbht.nhs.uk. This is a confidential service.
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Notes
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December 2011