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Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital Earns Prestigious Life Support Award

Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital is the only healthcare facility in Houston and one of just six in the nation to receive the Excellence in Life Support Award from the Extra-Corporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO).

The hospital was recognized for its work in the area of extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This heart-lung bypass technique oxygenates the blood and removes carbon dioxide, allowing the lungs to rest and heal. ECMO is most often used for newborns but may also be used for older children who become gravely ill because of lung injuries or infections.

“Our volumes are high, our outcomes are among the best in the country, and our data indicates a growing benefit from pediatric ECMO support in critically ill children,” said Kevin Lally, M.D., medical director of the ECMO program at Children’s Memorial Hermann and chief of the pediatric surgery division at the University of Texas at Houston.

While the national survival rate for pediatric ECMO patients with viral pneumonia is approximately 60 percent, for example, the success rate of the ECMO team at Children’s Memorial Hermann approaches 90 percent. Its team of specially trained physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists has treated nearly 200 patients since the hospital began Houston’s first ECMO program in 1992.

The ELSO award is a two-year designation recognizing facilities that exhibit a commitment to the exceptional patient care, specialized equipment and supplies, patient protocols, advanced education and high quality standards necessary to provide outstanding ECMO treatment.

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