AdventHealth Receives the Highest Level of International Recognition for Life Support Care

AdventHealth Orlando has earned “The ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support” from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) and is now one of only 32 Designated Platinum Level Centers of Excellence in the world. This is the highest level of achievement awarded by ELSO and recognizes AdventHealth’s exceptional results in delivering extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). AdventHealth Orlando was the only healthcare institution in Central Florida and the only adult ECMO center in the Southeast to achieve this honor.

ECMO is a life support machine that is used during life-threatening reversible conditions that hinder the heart or lungs from working properly. This machine replaces the function of the heart and lungs by pumping blood from the patient’s body to an artificial lung that adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. The ECMO machine then sends the blood back to the patient via pump with the same force as the heart.

Over the last decade, advances in technology and critical care have aided the rapid growth of ECMO therapy in adults. Most recently, ECMO has been used as a life-sustaining treatment for some of AdventHealth’s most critically ill COVID-19 patients. This treatment has supported some patients in their recovery, allowing them to survive this new virus. AdventHealth’s survival rate for COVID-19 patients on ECMO currently stands at 65% and has remained above the published national average of 55%.

Offering the only dedicated ICU and team to the delivery of ECMO for adults, AdventHealth provides this specialized care at its Orlando, Daytona Beach and Waterman campuses. AdventHealth Orlando’s ECMO program launched in 2015 and has grown to one of the largest in the country, treating more than 200 neonatal, pediatric and adult patients annually.

“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had achieved the Gold level designation from ELSO. This new Platinum designation signifies that our team’s expertise is not only recognized locally and statewide, but now internationally as one of the highest performing ECMO centers in the world,” said Scott Silvestry, MD, AdventHealth Surgical Director of Thoracic Transplant, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. “This recognition reflects the commitment of our entire ECMO clinical team to provide the highest quality of life-saving support for our patients.”

The ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support recognizes programs that are achieving exceptional results, reaching the highest level of performance, innovation, satisfaction and quality. AdventHealth demonstrated extraordinary achievement in the following three categories:

1. Excellence in promoting the mission, activities, and vision of ELSO;

2. Excellence in patient care by using the highest quality measures, processes, and structures based upon evidence; and

3. Excellence in training, education, collaboration, and communication supporting ELSO guidelines that contributes to a healing environment for families, patients and staff.

For more information about the award, click here.

About AdventHealth Central Florida:

AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division encompasses more than 20 hospitals and ERs in the seven counties in and surrounding metro Orlando. The world-class hospitals, combined with a comprehensive outpatient care network, sees millions of patients annually. AdventHealth Orlando — the division’s flagship campus — boasts nationally and internationally recognized programs and serves as a major tertiary referral hospital for much of the Southeast, the Caribbean and Latin America. The organization has an expansive research portfolio with more than 500 clinical trials in progress. AdventHealth has a deep commitment to serving the community and has a local financial impact of more than $1 billion annually. AdventHealth and its employees are responsible for nearly 20 percent of Central Florida’s economy. Learn more about the Central Florida Division at AHMD.com.