The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) brought its expertise to the University of Florida (UF) Health with an on-site Extracorporeal Life Support Education & Training workshop in March. The simulation course was tailored for health care workers who already have a strong foundational knowledge of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) patient care. ECMO is a life support system that acts as a temporary heart and lung machine to allow the body time to rest and heal.
Faculty and fellows from the UF Departments of Anesthesiology and Emergency Medicine participated in the workshop. Torben Becker, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, associate professor of emergency medicine, and Marc Maybauer, M.D., Ph.D., professor of anesthesiology, helped organize the event, at which participants learned about the multidisciplinary teamwork needed for complex ECMO care.
The intent for ELSO’s hands-on course is to delve deeper into the concepts of venoarterial (VA) ECMO, which provides support for both the heart and lungs, and venovenous (VV) ECMO, which supports only the lungs. Course attendees participated in patient case scenarios and small group activities. Additionally, the course helps fulfill the requirements for the ELSO Adult ECMO Practitioner Certification exam.
“We also hope to soon be able to offer these courses locally here at UF, directed by Dr. Maybauer and myself, with endorsement as a training center from ELSO,” said Becker. “The course was the first step towards this.” In October, UF Health Shands was recognized by ELSO with the Gold Level ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support. Maybauer, who is also the director of adult ECMO at UF Health Shands, accepted the award with UF Health Shands’ director of pediatric ECMO and professor of surgery, Giles Peek, M.D. By offering specialized training and certification opportunities, UF Health is poised to play a leading role in advancing the field of extracorporeal life support.