ECMO in the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

Indiana University School of Medicine’s Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship is committed to providing exceptional clinical education and advanced training in pulmonary, critical care and extracorporeal life support (ECLS).

Our Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program offers fellows meaningful exposure to one of the highest-acuity areas of critical care medicine. With more than 1,000 ECMO runs performed since the program’s inception, and annual case volumes that place our center among high-volume ECMO programs nationally, fellows gain experience in the evaluation, management and longitudinal care of complex ECMO patients.

This clinical exposure allows fellows to graduate with a strong foundation in ECMO physiology, patient selection, cannulation strategies, multidisciplinary decision-making and advanced critical care management.

a simulated hospital room and ecmo patient

ECMO Fellowship Education

In addition to broad education in mechanical circulatory support (MCS), fellows rotate on the ECMO service, where they participate directly in the care of patients supported with extracorporeal life support. Fellows work closely with faculty who have expertise in ECMO, mechanical circulatory support, heart and lung transplantation, cardiothoracic critical care and clinical research.

A distinctive feature of our fellowship is that all fellows have the opportunity to attend our comprehensive four-day ECMO course. This course is endorsed by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) and provides structured, high-yield education designed to support fellows pursuing advanced ECMO knowledge and preparation for adult ECMO practitioner certification.

Fellows interested in deeper training in ECMO and mechanical circulatory support also have access to additional educational resources, clinical mentorship and multidisciplinary learning opportunities.

Faculty and fellows conducting ECMO Training

Clinical Experience

Fellows gain experience in a wide range of ECMO and advanced critical care scenarios, including:

Perioperative management of lung transplant recipients
Urgent inpatient ECMO referrals
ECMO candidacy assessment
ECPR candidacy assessment
Critical illness in prior lung transplant recipients
VV, VA, V-AV, and Oxy-RVAD support configurations
Bridge-to-transplant strategies for lung and heart failure
Postoperative LVAD patient management

Additional EMCO Education

Fellows are encouraged to participate in multidisciplinary ECMO conferences and educational meetings, where the ECMO team reviews active cases, referrals, outcomes and opportunities for continued improvement. Some of those opportunities are:

Weekly ECMO Connections: To discuss our cases from the week
Monthly ECMO Morbidity and Mortality: Discussion of our morbidity and mortality with invitations to other centers to learn about cases that have been transferred to our institution.
Quarterly ECMO Journal Club: We discuss recent literature and incorporate input from our ECMO clinicians, physicians and other members of the team
Bi-Annual ECMO Symposium: We offer an advanced ECMO symposium targeting ECMO practitioners from around the country to offer high level learning with our continued advancements at IU School of Medicine.

Through high-volume clinical exposure, structured education and multidisciplinary mentorship, our fellowship prepares trainees to become thoughtful, capable and confident clinicians in the care of patients requiring ECMO and advanced mechanical circulatory support.

Advanced ECMO Education

Indiana University is also home to a dedicated ECMO fellowship, offering a one-year advanced training opportunity focused on the comprehensive care of patients requiring extracorporeal life support. This fellowship is designed for physicians seeking to develop advanced expertise in ECMO physiology, patient selection, cannulation strategies, circuit management, multidisciplinary leadership, quality improvement and program development.

Through high-volume clinical exposure, structured mentorship and participation in a mature multidisciplinary ECMO program, fellows are prepared to become future leaders in ECMO care, education, research and systems development.

A physician and a fellow conducting ECMO training

Certification Opportunities

Our fellowship provides dedicated education, clinical exposure and protected time to support fellows pursuing the Adult ECMO Practitioner Certification through the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization. This pathway reflects our commitment to preparing trainees with the knowledge, experience and professional development necessary to practice advanced ECMO care with confidence.