Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Excellence at UPMC Children’s Heart Institute

The extracorporeal circulatory support program at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, led by Melita Viegas, MD, continues to evolve, offering a variety of mechanical devices to support immediate and long-term cardiac and respiratory collapse. Some of the pediatric ventricular assist devices available include the Abbott Laboratories HeartMate 3™, the Berlin Heart EXCOR® pediatric system, the Abbott Laboratories CentriMag/PediMag™ acute circulatory support system, and the ABIOMED Impella®.

Clinicians at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh are involved with UPMC peers and the University of Pittsburgh’s McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine to develop innovative mechanical support strategies that address the growing need to support children with failing hearts and lungs in heart failure or in need of organ transplants.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Excellence at UPMC Children’s Heart Institute

The Heart Institute at UPMC Children's has provided ECMO to patients suffering from complex cardiac and respiratory problems since 1979. 

UPMC Children’s uses a careful, multidisciplinary approach to ECMO patient selection to ensure our patients the best chance of a successful outcome.   

Under Dr. Viegas’s leadership, UPMC Children’s has been awarded the ELSO Award for Excellence in Life Support – Platinum level. The Award for Excellence in Life Support from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) recognizes hospitals and medical centers around the world that demonstrate exceptional commitment to evidence-based processes and quality measures, staff training and continuing education, patient satisfaction and ongoing clinical care in the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

For more information or to request a second opinion, visit www.chp.edu/heart or email CHPHeartReferral@chp.edu.