Pediatric Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Fellowship

This 1 -year fellowship is designed to enhance clinical expertise in extracorporeal support technology. The fellowship will provide comprehensive clinical exposure in extracorporeal support, emphasizing ECMO, but providing exposure to CRRT (Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy) and PLEX (Plasma Exchange) as tandem therapies with ECMO. Additionally, the fellow will develop leadership skills and gain hands-on experience in the operational and administrative aspects of managing an ECMO program in a pediatric critical care unit. Learn more about our Platinum Center of Excellence ECMO program.  

Our Goals

• Develop competence in recognizing the need for ECMO, selecting the appropriate modality, and determining the suitable cannulation.
• Effectively describe ECMO physiology and manage patients on both VA and VV ECMO.
• Define ECMO circuit components and describe mechanics, and maintenance requirements, including monitoring and troubleshooting mechanical complications.
• Develop competence in evaluating and monitoring patients on ECMO, including assessing progress, recognizing complications early and evaluating for readiness to decannulate
• Critically appraise literature, design and implement ECMO-focused research studies in the PICU population, and participate in national meetings to stay current with evolving research and topics.
• Understand the interdisciplinary nature of Extracorporeal Life Support and the resources necessary to maintain an ECMO program at an academic Children’s Hospital.
• Describe required procedures for construction and priming of ECMO circuits.
• Collaborate during the ECMO cannulation procedure  for patient management, flow inititaiton and ECMO trouble shooting.  
• Engage in collaboration with the medical team and for patients on venovenous and venoarterial ECMO, including management of multiple organ systems.
• Identify indications for and collaborate in the ECMO decannulation procedure.
• Describe and manage other forms of extracorporeal life support in tandem with ECMO, including renal replacement therapies (RRT), and plasmapheresis, with attention to indications, contraindications, management, and troubleshooting complications.
• Describe indications for and manage anticoagulation and blood product replacement in patients on various ECLS technologies.
• Describe key principles for developing and maintaining an academic ECMO program.