ECMO Event Celebrates Twenty Years of Saving Hundreds of Children's Lives June 2, 2007

ECMO Event Celebrates Twenty Years of Saving Hundreds of Children's Lives

INDIANAPOLIS-On Saturday, June 2 from Noon to 3 p.m., hundreds of children and families will gather at St. Matthew Catholic Church at Binford and 56th Street for a picnic.

This picnic is a celebration of survival and commitment. This gathering is for ECMO clinical staff, families and children who have experienced extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) firsthand.

ECMO is a special procedure that uses an artificial heart-lung machine to take over the work of the lungs, and sometimes the heart. ECMO is used most often in newborns and young children. A patient who requires ECMO is seriously ill and will likely die without the treatment.

The majority of the children on ECMO are treated and saved at Riley Hospital for Children, a national leader in ECMO. Riley has been performing ECMOs since 1987 and as of recently in 2007, Riley performed ECMO number 597. Only a small number of children undergo ECMO annually and approximately 37,000 have been performed worldwide in the past 31 years.

ECMO is used to support a child's damaged, infected, or failing lungs for a few days to allow treatment or healing. It is effective for those patients with severe, but reversible, heart or lung problems who haven't responded to treatment with a ventilator, drugs or extra oxygen. Children who need ECMO are usually experiencing heart failure, pneumonia or respiratory failure caused by trauma or severe infection.

Medical Director of Riley Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Dr. Engle, looks forward to the ECMO picnic each year. “I’ve been going to the picnic since it started and I thoroughly enjoy seeing the families get together enjoy themselves and be able to share their experiences. The staff and I also find it exciting to be able to see the families grow each year,” said Engle.

All of the families at the picnic had children who were severely ill, many near death. Many of the families endured long hospital stays and difficult journeys, but most were ultimately saved through the use of ECMO.

Jenni Vise, the organizer of the picnic, clearly understands the support system this picnic provides ECMO families. “Having gone through the experience of having my son, Alex, on ECMO, I understand what it’s like to feel alone not knowing what is going to happen.” said Vise. “Being able to share that experience and bond with other ECMO families provides you with such a great connection. Also, after spending so much time in the hospital you develop a relationship with the staff. That too is a connection you don’t want to loose.”

Caring for a child or baby with ECMO is a concerted team effort and requires hours of work by physicians, nurses, therapists and other caregivers. One of those team members who attends the picnic each year, and will attend the picnic is Jim Hart, RN, ECMO Clinical Coordinator at Riley.

"I love to attend the picnic to see the families and the children to reconnect," said Hart. "These groups of families are continually keeping in touch with our medical staff through pictures, report cards and even up to their graduation announcements. These connections and seeing them again at the picnic healthy rejuvenates and inspires me each year to continue what I am doing."



At the picnic, each of the children who was on ECMO wears a t-shirt with their name on the front and their ECMO number on the back of the shirt. The children will have the opportunity to participate in games, crafts and various activities throughout the afternoon.

Official Website: http://www.saintmatt.org/