In 2019, the Foundation sent twelve of Ascension Saint Thomas’s brightest Cardiovascular ICU care nurses to advanced Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) training. At that time, no one could foresee what the future would bring: the surge of the COVID-19, which put ECMO therapy in extremely high demand.
“Our abstract was one of three (out of over 130) selected for the Robert H Bartlett award for best abstract at the 33rd annual ELSO Conference. Thank you again so much for funding the trip and allowing us to showcase the accomplishments of our ECMO program to the international ECMO community.”
Jonathan Emling
Dive Deeper into the Problem that Ascension Helped Solve
ECMO is a medical procedure providing both cardiac and respiratory support to people whose heart and lungs cannot function. This is a life-saving procedure used to stabilize patients in crisis requiring the most specialized training. Ascension Saint Thomas Foundation donors proactively saved lives by providing the funds necessary for our ICU team to receive expert training that was needed during the pandemic.
What is happening today?
The Foundation continues to support our ICU caregivers to receive the latest training and attend conferences to gain knowledge on the latest trends and research in ECMO application and management, while also sharing information that highlights our center’s expertise in ECMO technique.