Latin America ELSO | ECMO

Latin America ELSO helps enhance ECMO and ECLS use in Central and South America through guidelines, expertise, a common database, research and knowledge sharing.

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ELSO Latin America for ECMO and ECLS | Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation

Latin America Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Supports ELSO in Central and South America

EXTRACORPOREAL LIFE SUPPORT ORGANIZATION (ELSO) LATIN-AMERICA

The ELSO organization has been responsible for linking a huge network of centers who offer ECMO support, in order to optimize quality care, promote international collaborations and provide guidelines for ECMO practice and patient care The ELSO Registry is the foundation for many publications involving support of neonates, children and adults.

Following the Euro-ELSO and ELSO Asia-Pacific examples, in 2012 the Latin-America created the local chapter of ELSO. The ELSO Latin-America foundation was based on Santiago – Chile, during the Latin-America ECMO Symposium 2012. About 250 ECMO practitioners from Latin-America attended the event, which also had had the participation, through videoconference, of ELSO representatives (Dr. Steve Conrad, Dr. Michael Hines, Peter Rycus, and Dr. William Lynch).

During this first meeting, Santiago was chosen as headquarter of ELSO Latin-America, and the first official meeting was planned to be in Brazil on 2014. Since that time, some steps were done and also planned:

1. Election of the coordinators, committees and collaborators by representatives of ELSO Latin-America centers.

2. Installation of the Latin-America chapter during the Philadelphia's ELSO annual meeting in 2013.

3. Creation of the ELSO Latin-America logo.

4. Establishment of legal ground as a non-lucrative society.

5. Beginning of the activities of the below cited committees.

6.Incorporation of new ELSO Latin-America centers.

7.Translation of the "ELSO Red Book" and the "Manual of ECLS training" to Spanish and Portuguese.

We believe the ELSO Latin-America foundation was very important in order to enhance the ECMO use and credibility in the region, through the helpful considerations, guidelines and expertise of ELSO. A common database and a research group are other consistent factors implemented. Furthermore, a standard education process is now possible.

ELSO Latin-America Steering Committee Members

Steering Committee 2022-2023