ELSO’s ECLS Center Certification program establishes a standard of training, practice, and study for all institutions aiming to provide safe and accessible ECLS care. It is designed to recognize high-quality practice, policy, and program development in Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) care. ECLS care includes Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal (ECCO2R), Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR), Extracorporeal Interval Support for Organ Retrieval (EISOR), and other forms of life support that utilize an artificial organ to support the patient.

Any institution that is currently practicing ECLS should consider applying to the ELSO ECLS Center Certification. This program is open to all institutions regardless of patient volume, acuity, resource level, or country of practice. The Certification process has been designed to be applicable globally with consideration of all resources available in the applicant’s region.

Any ECLS center can apply for the ELSO ECLS Center Certification program. However, specific benefits will apply only to ELSO member centers:

• Listed as an ELSO Certified center with Tier and patient population on ELSO’s Center Certification map.

• Streamlined application process via the membership login area

• Validation of patient volumes via the ELSO Registry.

ELSO’s Center Certification program is the first global certification program designed by ECLS experts for the ECLS community. It is intentionally inclusive of all ECLS centers regardless of patient volume, acuity, resource level, or country of practice. ELSO’s Center Certification is more than just a stamp of approval; our Center Certification report includes areas of strength, improvement, and commentary from the review team that is intended to help your program continue to grow. Safe and accessible ECMO care is at the core of ELSO’s Center Certification.

As the goal of ELSO’s Center Certification program is to promote safe and accessible ECMO care, certified institutions can increase their reputation as a recognized ECLS program. If certification is granted, it will mean that your program provides ECLS care that follows evidence-based practice recommendations identified by our global ECLS Center Certification Task Force Team, which are designed to promote safe care delivery. Following review, our Center Certification Review Committee will provide a detailed report of strengths and areas of improvement that is intended to help your program grow to achieve structure and practice that enhances safety on the ECLS care continuum.

Institutions can apply for the adult, pediatric, neonatal, or comprehensive (adult, neo & peds) patient population. A single application is available for all populations under consideration.

The Award Evaluation and Improvement Tool and the Application Worksheet are available January 1st for the current Award cycle. Online Application form for submission is available January 1st.

Please click here to find the ELSO ECLS Center Certification Methodology, which includes key definitions and explanations of each required standard.

There are three parts: Application, Site Visit, Certification Finalization.

The review process begins with an online application. The application is comprehensive in its review and requires many attached documents. Applicants take up to 4 weeks to gather all documents and submit the requested information.

Approximately 4-6 weeks after the written application is submitted, the applicant is notified of their status for a mandatory site visit. Applicants not eligible for a site visit will be notified of possible next steps. The site visit should be completed within 8 weeks of the notification of eligibility. ELSO will identify a non-conflicted, non-competing survey team with appropriate regional context.

Approximately 4 weeks after the site visit concludes, ELSO will issue a preliminary report to the applicant. Following any clarifications and/or updates to missing information, the Center Certification Committee will issue a final report based on the written application and site visit.

The entire application process can take between 6-9 months to complete.

At this time, ELSO ECLS Center Certification is in an invite-only pilot site phase. To be considered for a pilot site visit, please contact CenterCertification@elso.org

The Certification is valid for three years beginning the date on your finalized Certification Report.

Recertification will be contingent on an applicant’s continued compliance with the Center Certification Methodology. An automatic review may be triggered in cases where a Certified Center has significant changes in program structure, performance, or staffing.