Stollery’s NICU life support program receives international designation

Stollery Children's Hospital file photo. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV News Edmonton)

Edmonton’s Stollery Children’s Hospital’s extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program is the first in Canada to have been internationally recognized.

ECMO is an advanced form of life support, doing the work of the heart and lungs during severe heart or lung failure. By taking over oxygenating and circulating a patient’s blood, their organs have time to recover.

ECMO became part of the Stollery’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in 1988.

The team behind the program was recently awarded the Platinum Level Center of Excellence Award for Excellence in Life Support by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).

“This ELSO designation reflects the exceptional dedication, expertise, and teamwork of the Stollery’s ECMO and critical care teams,” said Tyler Coxford, program coordinator, in a news release Friday.

“We’re very proud of this talented team, who provide the highest level of life support care to children from across Alberta and beyond.”

The ECMO program is supported by donor funding through the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.