If the facility is well equipped to provide extracorporeal CPR, then it is a viable treatment option in certain situations, including cardiac arrest.

Transport ECMO Machine

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation System⁵³

Photo of ECMO machine- Note the color difference of the circulating blood.

Patient receiving an ECMO therapySome studies have reported improved survival with a good neurologic outcome when using this system to resuscitate cardiac arrest patients. However, the treatment is limited to certain situations such as possible illness reversal or cardiac transplant waiting because of its high cost and resource-intense requirements.