The Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Center at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital recently received the Excellence in Life Support Award from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). The ELSO is an international consortium of centers offering ECMO for support of failing organ systems in infants, children and adults.
The award recognizes centers demonstrating an exceptional commitment to evidence-based processes and quality measures, staff training and continuing education, patient satisfaction and ongoing clinical research. The ECMO Center at Rainbow is one of few centers across the country to receive the award since its creation in 2006.
ECMO is one of the most advanced forms of life support available to patients experiencing acute failure of the cardio-respiratory system. ECMO allows time for the patient's lungs or heart to heal by using a heart-lung machine to oxygenate and purify the blood outside the body over a period of time.
ELSO promotes ongoing research into the most effective treatment methods by maintaining a registry of patients receiving ECMO and providing educational programs for member centers and the broader medical communities. More than 115 international ECMO centers are members of ELSO, which is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
About Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital
For over 120 years, Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital at University Hospitals Case Medical Center has been dedicated solely to the care of children. As one of the most renowned pediatric medical centers and a principal referral center for Ohio and the region, Rainbow physicians will receive more than 200,000 patient visits annually. The 244-bed hospital is home to 850 pediatric specialists and 40 special care centers including Centers of Excellence in oncology, neonatology, neurology and endocrinology. As a teaching affiliate of Case Western Reserve University, Rainbow trains more than 100 pediatricians each year and consistently ranks among the top children's hospitals in research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Rainbow was recently ranked as the #4 best children's hospital in the country by U.S. News & World Report.