The ECMO machine pumps your blood through artificial lungs and lets your heart rest
If your heart is failing or you have recently undergone heart surgery, your heart may need time to rest or recover. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, pumps your blood through a machine so your heart doesn’t have to work as hard to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. We also may recommend this treatment to prepare your heart for an assist device, such as a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).
Our cardiac surgery program is one of the highest-volume cardiac surgery centers in the region. These surgeons’ experience helps them determine best practices to refine surgical techniques and improve patient care. Patients who need this treatment often are critically ill, and our surgeons work with other teams, such as palliative care or heart failure doctors, to treat their complex and unique conditions. We provide ECMO treatment options located in the Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Maryland areas.
What is ECMO?
ECMO is often used for patients who have already been admitted to the hospital. The procedure to connect the patient to the ECMO machine will be performed in the hospital room. The patient will be sedated and given medications to reduce pain and prevent blood clots.
The machine is connected to a patient using thin, flexible tubes called catheters that are inserted into an artery and a vein. If the patient is also placed on a ventilator to relieve stress on the lungs, they will be sedated and likely have a feeding tube inserted for nutrition.
Heart tests
Cardiac Catheterization
Cardiac catheterization is a minimally invasive way to diagnose and treat a variety of heart and vascular conditions by guiding thin, flexible tubes called catheters through blood vessels to problem areas.
Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)
Transesophageal echocardiogram allows doctors to take very detailed images of the heart structure from a probe in the esophagus.
Our providers
Location: Change location Enter your location
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Abdel Mun'em Saber Al-Hourani, MD
Hospital Medicine
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Megan E Brinkman, MMS PA
Hospital Medicine
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Wilson Chan, MD
Hospital Medicine & Internal Medicine
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Minh-thu Duong, DO
Hospital Medicine
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Catherine Frost, ACNP AGACNP-BC MSN
Hospital Medicine
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Tiffany Leticia Garcia, MPAM PA
Pulmonary Medicine
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Bel Maya Ghale, MBBS MD
Hospital Medicine
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Syed Hissam Haider, MBBS MD
Internal Medicine & Hospital Medicine
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Nicholas Herman Huerta, DO
Hospital Medicine
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Shameem Ara Huq, MD
Hospital Medicine
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Syed Rameez Sadiq Jafri, MBBS MD
Hospital Medicine
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Yadana Khin, MD
Hospital Medicine
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Brian George Lee, MD
Cardiac Critical Care & Critical Care Medicine
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Atinuke O Osundina, MSN NP
Hospital Medicine
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Kathryn Helen Roberts, PA
Neonatology
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Tanmay Singh, MD
Internal Medicine & Hospital Medicine
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Our locations
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MedStar Health: Cardiac Surgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
110 Irving Street, NW First Floor Washington, DC 20010
202-877-3503
MedStar Health: Cardiac Surgery at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital - Calvert Street Building
3300 North Calvert Street Calvert Street Building Second Floor, Suite A Baltimore, MD 21218
410-554-6534
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.