Content: Seoul Asan Medical Center has treated more than 3,000 adult patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), with nearly two-thirds successfully recovering enough heart and lung function to be removed from the life-support system.
The hospital announced on Tuesday that it has performed 3,123 ECMO procedures for adults with severe heart and lung failure, the highest cumulative total in South Korea.
ECMO temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs by circulating a patient’s blood outside the body, supplying oxygen, removing carbon dioxide, and returning the blood to the body. The support allows the heart and lungs to rest while physicians treat the underlying cause of cardiac or respiratory failure.
Seoul Asan Medical Center launched its ECMO program in 2005, reaching 500 cases in 2012, 1,000 in 2015, 2,000 in 2021, and surpassing 3,000 procedures last year.
The hospital established a dedicated ECMO team in 2019 to strengthen multidisciplinary care for critically ill patients.
As of 2025, the hospital’s ECMO weaning success rate stands at 65%, meaning 65 out of every 100 patients supported by ECMO recovered sufficient heart and lung function to have the device safely removed.
During ECMO treatment, physicians focus on addressing the underlying cause of cardiopulmonary failure. As patients recover, blood flow and oxygen support are gradually reduced to determine whether the heart and lungs can function independently before the device is removed.
Among patients successfully weaned from ECMO, the hospital reported a 51% survival-to-discharge rate in 2025.
Because ECMO is typically reserved for patients with life-threatening heart or lung failure, the hospital said the results reflect a high level of expertise in managing critically ill patients.
ECMO also serves as a bridge to organ transplantation for patients whose heart or lung function cannot recover while they await donor organs.
Between 2015 and 2025, the hospital used ECMO in 452 transplant candidates, representing about 20% of all ECMO cases during that period.
Among those patients, 72% ultimately received a transplant, while 82% survived to hospital discharge after transplantation.
The hospital performed 186 bridge procedures involving either heart transplantation (164 cases) or implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) (22 cases), achieving an 82% post-transplant or post-implant survival-to-discharge rate.
It also completed 140 bridge-to-lung-transplant cases, with an 81% survival-to-discharge rate following transplantation.
Seoul Asan Medical Center has also established a specialized interhospital transport program for critically ill patients receiving ECMO support.
Between 2015 and 2025, the hospital completed 130 ECMO transport cases from other medical centers. Among those patients, 70% were successfully weaned from ECMO and 59% survived to hospital discharge.
The transport program also facilitated 53 subsequent transplant procedures, including 29 heart transplants, three LVAD implantations, and 21 lung transplants.
Lee Je-hwan, vice president for medical affairs, said reaching the milestone of 3,000 adult ECMO cases reflects the dedication of healthcare professionals working around the clock to save critically ill patients.
Kang Pil-je, director of the ECMO team and professor of cardiothoracic surgery, said the team will continue working to help patients recover enough heart and lung function to be successfully weaned from ECMO and ultimately discharged.
On July 3, the hospital held a symposium commemorating the milestone, featuring presentations on topics including left ventricular unloading during veno-arterial ECMO, advances in veno-venous ECMO, ECMO use after open-heart surgery, and the role of perfusionists within ECMO teams.
Last month, Newsweek ranked Seoul Asan Medical Center the No. 1 hospital in the Asia-Pacific region in five clinical specialties—cardiology, cardiac surgery, neurology, endocrinology, and orthopedics—in its 2026 Best Specialized Hospitals Asia-Pacific rankings, the highest number of first-place specialty rankings among hospitals across the 11 countries included in the survey.
