Critical Care at Johnson City Medical Center
Johnson City Medical Center offers the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program for our patients whose serious illnesses prevent their heart and lungs from working properly. ‘Extracorporeal’ means the blood circulates outside the body, and ‘membrane oxygenation’ refers to the machine’s ability to deliver oxygen directly to the blood.
The ECMO machine provides life-saving care that takes stress off the heart and lungs by acting as a temporary heart and lungs, so the patient can recover. ECMO may also be used for patients awaiting lung or heart transplants.