UNMC hosted its first Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) course for fellows earlier this month.
Twenty physicians attended the two-day course, some from as far away as Texas, said HelenMari Merritt, D.O., associate program director in the UNMC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Dr. Merritt was the course director, with Tara Brakke, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology, Jim Sullivan, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology, and perfusionist Ryan Zavala as co-directors.
ECMO (also known as extracorporeal life support) is a type of life support that can be used for respiratory or cardiac illness when other therapies have failed, Dr. Merritt said.
“The med center is the only hospital in state that has the ability to support these patients long-term,” she said.
The course included didactic and simulation sessions, focused on the correct way to place patients on ECMO, manage treatment and get them safely off life support.
The course was so successful, organizers already are planning a new version in the fall, open to surgeons, critical care doctors, emergency and trauma doctors, nurses, perfusionists and other advanced care providers. Registration for the course is now open.
“There is a lot of interest in this,” Dr. Merritt said.