ecmo is a type of extracorporeal life support where an external machine can be used as a replacement for a patient's heart and lungs respiratory therapists are often involved in this type of therapy which means that this is an important topic to learn about so that is exactly why we created this quick video to help so if you're ready let's get into it [Applause] so what is ecmo ecmo stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as we mentioned is the most common type of extracorporeal life support that involves pumping blood out of the patient's body through a machine for the gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide this type of therapy is indicated whenever a patient's heart and lungs are unable to perform respiration on their own ecmo is typically used for the management of severe life-threatening respiratory failure or cardiogenic shock in patients who have not responded positively to conventional forms of therapy respiratory therapists are often involved with this type of treatment although state licensure laws may limit their involvement in some states the two most common types of ecmo include veno arterial and venovenous vino arterial ecmo is a type of support where venous blood is drained from the patient and ran through a machine for oxygenation the blood becomes saturated with oxygen and can be returned to the patient's body via arterial circulation this type of ecmo is typically used in patients with cardiovascular failure and it should be noted that this type does provide hemodynamic support is most commonly indicated for the treatment of cardiogenic shock then there is veno venous ecmo which is another type of support where venous blood is drained from the patient and ran through a machine for gas exchange however with this type of support the blood is returned to the patient's body via venous circulation this type of ecmo is typically indicated for the treatment of acute respiratory failure that is due to viral or bacterial pneumonia unlike vino arterial ecmo veno venous ecmo provides no hemodynamic support again ecmo is a very serious therapeutic measure that should only be used in severe cases where other conventional treatment methods were unsuccessful real quick guys do me a huge favor and hit the like button it really helps support the channel and i greatly greatly appreciate it and while you're down there go ahead and click the subscribe button as well because we have a ton of other videos on our channel that i think you will enjoy just a quick reminder we are not doctors this video is for educational and informational purposes only and if you want to dive deeper and learn more about this topic you can go to respiratorytherapyzone.com where we have a ton of free study guides practice questions and other helpful resources i'll drop links to everything you need right below this video down in the description thank you so much for watching all the way to the end have a blessed day and as always real easy my friend [Music] you