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