ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation)

John Pietsch, MD, founder of the ECMO program at Children’s Hospital, is retiring after 50 years of caring for patients.
July 14, 2022

Pediatric ECMO program founder Pietsch retires

John Pietsch, MD, the recently retired founder of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, didn’t grow up wanting to be a doctor.

By Jessica Pasley
Current and former ECLS (ECMO) fellows include, from left, John Stokes, MD, Yuliya Tipograf, MD, Yatrik Patel, MD, and Sean Francois, MD.
March 17, 2022

ECMO fellowship program provides lifesaving training

Vanderbilt’s extracorporeal life support fellowship gives new doctors two years of hands-on experience with a lifesaving critical care tool, one that has only become more important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Matt Batcheldor
VUMC’s ECMO program has expanded to areas outside of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit.
February 25, 2022

Study shows young, healthy adults died from COVID-19 due to ECMO shortage

Vanderbilt research found that nearly 90 percent of COVID-19 patients who qualified for, but did not receive, ECMO due to a shortage of resources during the height of the pandemic died in the hospital, despite being young with few other health issues

By Craig Boerner
February 7, 2022

Study shows lifesaving benefit of baricitinib for ventilated COVID patients

Vanderbilt research shows that critically ill COVID-19 patients on a mechanical ventilator or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation lived more often when randomized to receive baricitinib.

By Craig Boerner
VUMC’s Mike West, RN, works with Ballad Health’s Jessie Blevins, RN, during a recent ECMO training session.
January 27, 2022

Initiative shares ECMO expertise with Ballad Health

Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently hosted representatives of Ballad Health, a regional health system serving East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, to train its team to provide a life-saving medical program called ECMO.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 24, 2022

Donna Atherton and Karen Pinkard are nurses who have worked together for years. The day Karen’s heart stopped at work, Donna was there to save her life.

A lot of people worked to save her life and help her recover. Thanks to them, Karen Pinkard is back at work.

By Tom Wilemon
September 1, 2021

Alarming number of pregnant COVID-19 patients hospitalized in August

Vanderbilt University Hospital treated 39 pregnant patients hospitalized with active COVID-19 infections in August, 10 of whom were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
By Emily Stembridge
August 2, 2021

VUMC sees increase of COVID-19 in pregnant patients

Physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have recently noticed an increase in pregnant patients ill with COVID-19. These cases are especially concerning due an increased risk of hospitalization, ICU admission, need for mechanical ventilation and ventilatory support, and increased risk of death in pregnant patients with COVID-19 compared to non-pregnant patients.
By Emily Stembridge
July 9, 2021

The nurse was afraid her patient would die. She wrote her experience in a story that was shared by NPR.

Sue Perron, a Vanderbilt intensive care nurse, told the story of the patient with COVID she called the Butterfly Man
By Wayne Wood
April 1, 2021

COVID recovery included long stay on ECMO, double-lung transplant

Zach Lloyd was only 37 years old with no pre-existing health conditions, but COVID-19 was bringing him within an inch of his life.
By Matt Batcheldor
August 13, 2020

Children’s Hospital ECMO program lands excellence award

For the fifth straight time, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt’s heart-lung support program has received the ELSO Award — Gold Level for Excellence in Life Support by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).
By Christina Echegaray
August 6, 2020

Extracorporeal life support program honored by ELSO

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s extracorporeal life support (ECLS) program has received the gold level award for excellence in life support from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).
By Matt Batcheldor
July 30, 2020

Walk celebrates patient’s ECMO journey 30 years ago

Thirty years ago, Shawn Drumgoole took a life-saving ride to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt to be placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).
By Jessica Pasley
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