Course Information
The ACES ECMO Course provides a structured, ELSO-aligned one-day program designed to build and sustain safe ECMO capability within ICU teams. The course embeds theoretical teaching, hands-on skill stations, and high-fidelity simulation across catastrophic ECMO scenarios, including cardiac arrest, decannulation, air entrainment, and circuit failure. Pre-course eLearning ensures foundational knowledge before face-to-face training, and all participants complete written and observed assessments to validate competency.
The course supports multidisciplinary engagement, with nurses, consultants, JMOs, and allied health staff developing shared mental models and consistent practice. It aligns clinical decision-making with local SOPs, ELSO requirements, and governance structures. Regular training strengthens risk mitigation, improves audit outcomes, and fosters sustained ECMO expertise within the organisation. This model reduces reliance on external training providers while promoting a cohesive, crisis-prepared ECMO workforce.
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Additional ECMO Course Information
Who Should Attend the ECMO Course?
The ACES ECMO Course is designed for ICU nurses, intensivists, ECMO coordinators, perfusionists, emergency clinicians, anaesthetists, JMOs, retrieval teams, and allied health professionals involved in ECMO patient management. The course supports both developing ECMO services and established centres seeking ongoing competency validation and team-based simulation training.
What Participants Will Learn
- ECMO circuit fundamentals
- VV and VA ECMO principles
- Emergency troubleshooting
- Air entrainment management
- Pump and oxygenator failure response
- Decannulation management
- Cardiac arrest on ECMO
- Team communication during ECMO crises
- Human factors and closed-loop communication
- ECMO governance and escalation pathways
High-Fidelity Simulation Training
Participants engage in immersive high-fidelity ECMO simulation scenarios designed to replicate real-world ICU emergencies. Scenarios are facilitated by experienced clinical educators and focus on crisis resource management, communication, leadership, and rapid escalation during time-critical ECMO events.
ELSO-Aligned ECMO Education
The course framework aligns with Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) recommendations and supports organisations aiming to maintain safe, standardised ECMO practices. Training can also be adapted to local hospital SOPs, escalation pathways, and governance frameworks.
Benefits for Healthcare Organisations
- Improved staff confidence
- Stronger crisis preparedness
- Better interdisciplinary teamwork
- Reduced variation in ECMO response
- Supports accreditation and governance
- Improves patient safety initiatives
- Sustainable in-house ECMO capability
