In intensive care medicine, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (commonly abbreviated ECMO) is an extracorporeal technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support oxygen to patients whose heart and lungs are so severely diseased or damaged that they can no longer serve their function. Initial cannulation of a patient receiving ECMO is performed by a surgeon or anaesthetist and maintenance of the patient is the responsibility of the Perfusionist or ECMO Specialist who gives 24/7 monitoring care for the duration of the ECMO treatment. - Source: Wikipedia