IOWA CITY, Iowa ( KCCI ) - University of Iowa Health Care is expanding its life-support capabilities onboard its helicopters, KCCI reports.

University of Iowa Health Care has expanded its AirCare program to include helicopter transport for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) patients.

It is the only hospital in Iowa to have an ECMO AirCare Team.

The hospital says the expansion will boost its ability to save patients with severe heart and lung failure. It is designed to help move patients from referral hospitals to University of Iowa Health Care.

The team will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can reach patients within a 170-mile radius of Iowa City.

The ECMO AirCare Team is available starting on September 1.

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