Stony Brook Medicine has received the Silver Level Path to Excellence in Life Support Award from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). This award recognizes top extracorporeal life support (ECLS) programs worldwide that distinguish themselves through their processes, procedures and systems that promote exceptional care in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Stony Brook Medicine is one of 3 sites on Long Island to be honored by the ELSO and the only one in Suffolk County.
“Day in and day out at Stony Brook Medicine, lives are saved through the remarkable work of our ECMO teams,” said Jillian Fitzgerald, MSN, Lead LVAD/ECMO Coordinator at Stony Brook Medicine. "Receiving this award celebrates our team's exceptional commitment to quality, innovation, education and compassionate care.”
“Using some of the most advanced life-support technology available, our physicians, perfusionists, nurses and other experts give patients suffering from severe heart or lung failure the life-saving treatment and hope they need to recover, “ said Dr. Allison McLarty, Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stony Brook Medicine.
ECMO is an emergency, temporary form of life support for people who have severe heart failure, such as from a massive heart attack, where the heart is not able to pump enough blood to the body. It is also used in lung failure, such as from severe pneumonia. ECMO is able to temporarily take over the job of the heart and the lungs and give the person time to be treated and recover.
Stony Brook Medicine has been collecting and reviewing ECMO data since 2011 and is one of the longest-standing ECMO programs on Long Island.
“ECMO care demands precision, collaboration and constant vigilance,” said Jan Cahill, CCP, Head Perfusionist at Stony Brook Medicine. “Achieving ELSO’s Silver Level Path to Excellence Award spotlights
our team’s shared mission to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients facing life-threatening situations.”
Dr. Jonathon Schwartz, CTICU critical care attending at Stony Brook Medicine, shared his sentiment saying, “This achievement highlights how ECMO allows us to support patients through their most critical moments, giving hearts and lungs time to recover and lives a second chance.”
“Our CTICU nurses deliver highly specialized ECMO care with skill, teamwork and heart,” said Lisa Doumas, Nurse Manager of the CTICU at Stony Brook Medicine. “Their commitment to excellence at the bedside makes a life-saving difference for our patients and families.”
All Award of Excellence designations are for a three-year period, with this one beginning January 1, 2026 until December 2028.
About Stony Brook Medicine:
Stony Brook Medicine integrates and elevates all of Stony Brook University’s health-related initiatives: education, research and patient care. It includes five Health Sciences schools — Renaissance School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, School of Health Professions, School of Nursing and School of Social Welfare — as well as Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and more than 200 community-based healthcare settings throughout Suffolk County. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
About The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization:
The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) is an international nonprofit consortium of healthcare institutions, researchers, providers, and industry partners. We provide support to those delivering extracorporeal life support through continuing education, guidelines, original research, publications, and a comprehensive registry of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patient data.