The adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis earned the ELSO Award of Excellence in Life Support, a Gold Level Center of Excellence designation from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).
Baptist Memphis has the only adult ECMO program in the Mid-South. It was established in 2013.
“Being named a Center of Excellence in ECMO is a great honor to our team who works diligently to provide an advanced level of lifesaving care,” said Paul Cade, VP/administrator and CEO of Baptist Memphis. “This prestigious award reflects our strong commitment to innovation and excellence for health care in the Mid-South.”
The ELSO Award of Excellence in Life Support recognizes extracorporeal life support programs worldwide that distinguish themselves by having processes, procedures and systems in place to promote excellence and exceptional care in ECMO.
“We’re really proud of the hard work this team has put forth to allow the ECMO program to grow and improve,” said Dr. Jeffrey Wright with Baptist Medical Group-Memphis Lung. He credits Sara Govener, lead ECMO coordinator, with handling logistics and building a robust educational program for bedside nurses, ECMO specialists and providers.
When a ventilator fails to help a patient breathe, ECMO is one of the most advanced forms of life support available. An ECMO machine pumps blood outside of the body and removes carbon dioxide, sending oxygen-rich blood back to the body, which allows the heart or lungs to rest and heal. ECMO is used to treat life-threatening heart and lung conditions, COVID-19 and other infections.
“The ongoing success of this program would not be possible without the support of nursing leadership and hospital administration. ECMO services will continue to be an important part of our cardiac and critical care services as we build strong ancillary programs,” said Dr. Wright.
