July 24, 2014

Children’s Hospital ECMO program lands excellence award

For the fourth time in a row, the Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, has been designated with the ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).

For the fourth time in a row, the Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, has been designated with the ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).

ECMO machines provide cardiac and respiratory support to pediatric and adult patients whose hearts or lungs are failing by putting oxygen in a patient’s blood and then pumping it back to the heart.

The ELSO award is given to ECMO services that show a commitment to exceptional patient care, have a high level of quality standards including specialized equipment and supplies, defined patient protocols and advanced education of all staff members.

ELSO is an international consortium of health care professionals and scientists dedicated to the development and evaluation of new therapies for supporting failing organ systems.

The award ceremony will take place in September at the 25th Annual ELSO Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan.