Level 3: Advanced Case-Based ECLS/ECMO Course

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JOINT EVENT ESICM & EuroELSO

Format: Face-to-face at LIVES 2026

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Dates: 10-11 October, 2026

The joint EuroELSO & ESICM Advanced Case Based ECLS/ECMO Course will reinforce at advanced level through case-based discussions and practical examples the key principles of ECMO such as VV-ECMO for adult respiratory failure, ECMO for refractory cardiac arrest (ECPR), ECMO for adult cardiac failure, weaning from VA-ECMO support, VA-ECMO versus other short-term circulatory support devices.

This event is part of a joint EuroELSO and ESICM learning programme to provide specialised training in extracorporeal techniques to healthcare professionals interested in the field. Certificates may be validated at EuroELSO on the path to the ELSO Adult ECMO Practitioner Certification (E-AEC).

As a participant – you have access to the virtual classroom on the ESICM ACADEMY

Didactic learning objectives

Core Faculty

ECLS/ECMO Pathway directors:

Daniel DE BACKER MD, PHD Head of Intensive Care and Emergency Departments, CHIREC Hospitals, Belgium, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

Leen VERCAEMST RN, ECCP, University Hospital Leuven, Belgium, EBCP-EuroELSO Liaison, Member of the EBCP Scientific Committee & EuroELSO Steering Committee

Directors:

Dieter DAUWE MD, PhD, Cardiologist – Intensivist UZ Leuven, Assistant Professor KU Leuven, Belgium

Daniel DE BACKER MD, PHD Head of Intensive Care and Emergency Departments, CHIREC Hospitals, Belgium, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

Endorsement: The course is endorsed by the Acute Respiratory Failure Section and by the Cardiovascular Dynamics Section, ESICM.

Objectives

Understand ECMO-ventilator interactions in respiratory ECMO
Describe the process of weaning VV ECMO support
Explore strategies to unload the left ventricle in peripheral cardiac ECMO
Discuss the rationale of VA ECMO in cardiac failure
Describe the process of weaning VA ECMO support

Programme Content

Key principles of ECMO

ECMO for Adult Respiratory Failure – weaning from VV ECMO
Cardiogenic shock, indications for temporary circulatory support, and ECMO
ECMO for Adult Cardiac Failure – weaning from VA ECMO

How to enhance lung protection on VV-ECMO?

Principles of ultra-protective lung ventilation
Prone positioning on ECMO: why? when? and for whom? Theoretical and practical demonstration
Which tools could I use to set the ventilator on ECMO?

Preventing and treatment of pulmonary oedema on VA-ECMO

If refractory, what could be proposed?
Preventing and treatment of pulmonary oedema on VA-ECMO

Requirements to join the course

Participants should have at least a basic understanding of, and preferably clinical experience with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. They can either be

Intensivist (in training), Anesthesiologist (in training), Perfusionist (in training) or MD with at least 2 years of clinical experience in intensive care
OR
Registered ICU Nurse with at least two years of experience treating critically-ill patients

Accreditation

The Advanced Case-based Course in ECLS/ECMO, Lisbon, Portugal 10/10/2026 – 11/10/2026, has been accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME®) with 10.5 European CME credits (ECMEC®s). Each medical specialist should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.
Through an agreement between the Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert EACCME® credits to an equivalent number of AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Information on the process to convert EACCME® credit to AMA credit can be found at https://edhub.ama-assn.org/pages/applications .
Live educational activities, occurring outside of Canada, recognised by the UEMS-EACCME® for ECMEC®s are deemed to be Accredited Group Learning Activities (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

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