extracorporeal
adjective
ex·tra·cor·po·re·al
ˌek-strə-kȯr-ˈpȯr-ē-əl 
: occurring or based outside the living body
the heart-lung machine maintains extracorporeal circulation during heart surgery
Examples of extracorporeal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At the hospital, Ellie was put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, a machine that takes over the work of the heart and lungs to give the body time to recover.
—
Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
In the field of advanced life support, for example, HIC has long been a Latin American reference center in ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), a therapy reserved for the most critical cases.
—Dr. Victor Raúl Castillo Mantilla, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
He was also placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which supports patients with failing hearts and lungs by pumping oxygen throughout the body.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
John Van Cleave, an extracorporeal life support expert who specializes in respiratory care for children, reviewed the civil complaint, which cites Grace’s medical records, and a doctor’s deposition.
—Jessica Van Egeren, jsonline.com, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for extracorporeal
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Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 16 Jan. 2026
In the field of advanced life support, for example, HIC has long been a Latin American reference center in ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), a therapy reserved for the most critical cases.
—Dr. Victor Raúl Castillo Mantilla, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
He was also placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which supports patients with failing hearts and lungs by pumping oxygen throughout the body.
—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
John Van Cleave, an extracorporeal life support expert who specializes in respiratory care for children, reviewed the civil complaint, which cites Grace’s medical records, and a doctor’s deposition.
—Jessica Van Egeren, jsonline.com, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for extracorporeal
Cite this Entry
“Extracorporeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extracorporeal. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
extracorporeal
adjective
ex·tra·cor·po·re·al
-kȯr-ˈpōr-ē-əl, -ˈpȯr-
: occurring or based outside the living body
heart surgery employing extracorporeal circulation
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