Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), also referred to as extracorporeal life support (ECLS), is an extracorporeal technique of providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of gas exchange or perfusion to sustain life. The technology for ECMO is essentially derived from cardiopulmonary bypass, which provides shorter-term support with arrested native circulation.
