Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation is a unique machine which serves as the heart and lungs outside the body. ECMO circulates the patient’s blood through the machine to put oxygen into the blood and take carbon dioxide out of the blood, just like healthy lungs would do. In some critical situations, ECMO is used to allow the heart and lungs to rest and heal. Its use, however, requires a physician on staff who has gone through specialized training to be able to correctly apply the technology to an adult patient. San Antonio is the only hospital in the Inland Empire and surrounding areas to provide this rare, critical service for adult patients.

 

San Antonio Regional Hospital's ECMO capabilities were featured on a KNBC News "Your Health" segment in September 2014.  See the full story on how two San Antonio patients, along with their unborn children, were saved with the use of our ECMO machine and our dedicated team of medical experts by clicking here.  

To read further about this miraculous story, click here to see the full story highlighted in the The Press Enterprise.