extracorporeal

American  

[ek-struh-kawr-pawr-ee-uhl, -pohr-] / ˌɛk strə kɔrˈpɔr i əl, -ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. occurring or situated outside the body, as a heart-lung machine used to oxygenate the blood during surgery.

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extracorporeal British  

/ ˌɛkstrəkɔːˈpɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. outside the body

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Other Word Forms

• extracorporeally adverb

Etymology

Origin of extracorporeal

First recorded in 1860–65; extra- + corporeal

Example Sentences

For all the talk of ventilator capacity, what was in shortest supply during the delta surge was something called ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 18, 2022

I’ve even had a small number of pregnant patients who needed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, essentially a lung bypass machine–our last ditch effort for someone whose lungs do not work.

From Slate • Jan. 12, 2022

ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, is a risky, last-ditch procedure that did the work of Tottman’s ravaged lungs, offering them a chance to heal.

From Reuters • Mar. 26, 2021

The process, called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, is a last resort for covid-19 patients whose oxygen levels remain low even on ventilators.

From Washington Post • Jan. 18, 2021

That higher-level care includes extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, which uses a machine to oxygenate a patient’s blood directly, temporarily replacing the function of the heart and lungs.

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2020