heart-lung machine

noun

: a mechanical pump that maintains circulation during heart surgery by shunting blood away from the heart, oxygenating it, and returning it to the body

Examples of heart-lung machine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Most viral pneumonia can only be treated with supportive care, such as providing oxygen; people with severe cases may require ventilators, heart-lung machines and other forms of mechanical ventilation, Offit says. Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2023 The basic technology behind ECPR has existed since the 1950s, when both CPR and the first heart-lung machines were developed. Erica Westly, Scientific American, 27 Nov. 2023 The Mayo Clinic describes an ECMO machine as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, in which blood is pumped outside of one's body to a heart-lung machine in critical care or life-threatening situations when one's heart and lungs need help to heal. Nikki Dobrin, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023 In May 2003, Mehmet Oz was the senior author on a study that explored a hot topic at the time: Whether heart bypass surgery conducted with the aid of a heart-lung machine impaired a patient’s cognitive function more than surgery conducted without the machine. Lenny Bernstein and Colby Itkowitz, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Nov. 2022 Soon afterward, his vital signs crashed, and now he was tethered to a whooshing heart-lung machine. BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2022 According to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the heart-lung machine adds oxygen to the blood, pumps or circulates the blood through both the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit and the patient, and removes excess carbon dioxide from the blood. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 3 Dec. 2021 By Tuesday, doctors were able to take him off the heart-lung machine. Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022 Bennett had been on a heart-lung machine for months before the transplant, leaving him very weak. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heart-lung machine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heart-lung machine was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near heart-lung machine

Cite this Entry

“Heart-lung machine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heart-lung%20machine. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

heart-lung machine

noun
heart-lung ma·​chine ˌhärt-ˈləŋ-mə-ˌshēn How to pronounce heart-lung machine (audio)
: a mechanical pump that maintains circulation during heart surgery by shunting blood away from the heart, oxygenating it, and returning it to the body
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