WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has received the Excellence in Life Support Award from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). This award designates the program as a Center of Excellence.
The ECMO team provides extracorporeal life support to neonatal, pediatric and adult patients with cardiac and/or respiratory failure who are unresponsive to maximal medical therapy, as well as patients in acute cardiac failure awaiting transplant or placement of a ventricular assist device.
The award recognizes extraordinary achievement in several categories, including using the highest quality measures, processes and structures based upon evidence for patient care and offering the training, education, collaboration, and communication that supports the ELSO guidelines and contributes to a healing environment.
The ECMO team cares for patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Brenner Children's Hospital and the Adult Cardiothoracic Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
ECMO is part of the Department of Respiratory Care Services. The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery provides medical direction. Michael H. Hines, M.D., an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery and pediatrics, is the director of ECMO. The program maintains a multidisciplinary approach. Patient care is supported by faculty and staff from cardiovascular surgery, pediatrics, neonatology, cardiology, radiology, nursing, pediatric surgery and respiratory care.
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Media Contacts: Ann Hopkins, ahopkins@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-1280; Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wfubmc.edu; or Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-4587.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (www.wfubmc.edu) is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Children’s Hospital, Wake Forest University Physicians, and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine and Piedmont Triad Research Park. The system comprises 1,056 acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and has been ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report since 1993. Wake Forest Baptist also holds the Gold Seal of Approval™ from the Joint Commission, the nation’s esteemed standards-setting and accrediting body for health care quality. Wake Forest Baptist is ranked 32nd in the nation by America’s Top Doctors for the number of its doctors considered best by their peers. The institution ranks in the top third in funding by the National Institutes of Health and fourth in the Southeast in revenues from its licensed intellectual property.