Stuart McGrane, MBChB, was awarded the Mildred T. Stahlman Award in Clinical Innovation on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 during the Spring Faculty Meeting for his efforts and innovation in developing and leading an interdisciplinary adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) team.
ECMO provides temporary mechanical heart and lung support for critically ill patients and is generally offered as a lifesaving intervention for patients with significant lung or cardiac failure when conventional modes of therapy have been exhausted.
This award specifically was for his work on the Vanderbilt ECMO Transfer/Referral Program which provides consultative services 24/7 to patients in facilities within 500 miles of Nashville. If ECMO is needed, a team of VUMC specialists is deployed within hours to initiate ECMO and, if necessary, transport the patient safely to VUMC. “This is a good feeling for the entire ECMO team. The transport team have all made significant personal sacrifice to enable this to be successful and this is acknowledgement for their efforts,” McGrane said.
The nominations for the Adult ECMO Team to receive this award came from Pratik Pandharipande, MD, and Clifford Lee Parmley, MD, JD, MMHC, plus testimonials from referring physicians and even a patient’s family member.
Pandharipande said the team is “highly skilled at caring for patients with the most severe life threatening illnesses, yet has been frequently cited by referring physicians and families for their amazing professionalism, interpersonal skills and humane and compassionate care.”
Parmley mentioned the evolution of the ECMO team as increasing demand for sophisticated therapies for patients in critical condition. “The innovation necessary to approach and achieve this current state is not only noteworthy but also of sufficient character to merit the Mildred T. Stahlman, MD, award.”
McGrane said the unique challenges he faced in developing the program were things like equipment, bedside staffing models and transport equipment. He clarified he was lucky to have inherited a program that had been through many growing pains and many of the pieces were in place. “I also benefited from the support of my Division Chief Pandharipande and from Ashish Shah, MD, Chair of Cardiac Surgery. Their support and mentorship encouraged me to push forward,” he said.
By the end of 2017, the program had provided ECMO support to 59 patients in VUMC and have transported 19 patients thus far in 2018. In fact, VUMC ECMO is the busiest ECMO referral center in Tennessee. “Every time we arrive and collect a patient, we experience the gratitude from the local physicians, nurses and patient families. It is gratifying for all involved that these patients are being given an opportunity. It is a privilege to be able to provide this service,” he said.
The future development of ECMO according to McGrane will be spreading the word that this service is available within Tennessee and the surrounding and to expand what ECLS services VUMC offers especially eCPR.
“I want to emphasize that this is a truly multidepartment, interdisciplinary team effort. So many people are involved to make this successful that to try to name them all would do a disservice to anyone I miss out,” he said.
Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology Warren Sandberg, MD, PhD, said that is a pleasure to see the ECMO team get the recognition they deserve as they provide great health care for patients with life-threatening illnesses and make it possible for them to get treatment. “I look forward to seeing what new innovations the ECMO team will come up with next.”