Stony Brook Medicine has been awarded the Silver Level Path to Excellence in Life Support Award by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). The recognition is given to extracorporeal life support (ECLS) programs that demonstrate high standards in processes, procedures, and systems for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) care. Stony Brook Medicine is one of three sites on Long Island to receive this honor and the only recipient in Suffolk County.
Jillian Fitzgerald, lead LVAD/ECMO coordinator at Stony Brook Medicine, stated, “Day in and day out at Stony Brook Medicine, lives are saved through the remarkable work of our ECMO teams. Receiving this award celebrates our team’s exceptional commitment to quality, innovation, education and compassionate care.”
Allison McLarty, chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stony Brook Medicine, said, “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.”
ECMO is used as an emergency temporary form of life support for individuals with severe heart or lung failure. It can take over the function of these organs while patients are treated and recover.
Since 2011, Stony Brook Medicine has maintained a longstanding ECMO program on Long Island by collecting and reviewing ECMO data.
Jan Cahill, head perfusionist at Stony Brook Medicine commented, “ECMO care demands precision, collaboration and constant vigilance. 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.”
Jonathon Schwartz, Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) critical care attending at Stony Brook Medicine added: “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.”
Lisa Doumas, nurse manager of the CTICU at Stony Brook Medicine noted: “Our CTICU nurses deliver highly specialized ECMO care with skill, teamwork and heart. Their commitment to excellence at the bedside makes a life-saving difference for our patients and families.”
The award designation lasts three years from January 1, 2026 through December 2028.
