Hurley Medical Center 1st U.S. Hospital Outside Organ Transplant Centers to Use ECS Technology

FLINT, Mich. - June 11, 2013 - PRLog -- FLINT, Michigan – Hurley Medical Center is believed to be the first U.S. hospital outside of an organ transplant center to use a new technology, the Extra-Corporeal Support (ECS) system, to assist in organ donations from donors who have experienced circulatory death, according to Gift of Life Michigan, the state's federally designated organ and tissue recovery organization. This type of donation is known as DCD, or donation after circulatory death, as distinguished from the more common donation after brain death.

“Gift of Life Michigan is grateful to Hurley Medical Center for its commitment to this new technology and its potential to benefit patients who need life-saving organ transplants,” according to Richard Pietroski, Chief Executive Officer, Gift of Life Michigan.

ECS is a device that provides blood and oxygen to kidneys and the liver, after a patient is declared dead. ECS bypass technology (also referred to as ECMO or EISOR), can improve the number and quality of organ transplants. Until now, it has been used in DCD donations in only a few places in the United States, and those have been limited to transplant centers.  

“Gift of Life Michigan recently facilitated an organ donation at Hurley Medical Center utilizing this ground breaking technology.  The organs were all successfully transplanted as a result of this new technology, and most importantly through the collaboration with medical, nursing, and administration staff at Hurley Medical Center,” adds Michael McCann, DO, FACOS, FACS, Chief, Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Hurley Medical Center.  

“This is an amazing medical milestone, and Hurley is honored to have played a part in the facilitation of this ECS procedure. The work Hurley does collaboratively with Gift of Life Michigan is a strong testament to the clinical excellence provided to donor families, here at the medical center, around the clock,” according to Melany Gavulic, RN, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer at Hurley Medical Center.

“All of the collaboration and hard work is important, but we can never forget the donors and the donor families. These are the people who with great forethought or in a time of tremendous personal grief made a decision to give the ultimate gift of life to someone, and for that we are truly grateful,” adds Beckie Hoppe, MSN, RN, Organ Donor Administrative Liaison at Hurley Medical Center.

Today, Hurley Medical Center is one of only a handful of U.S. healthcare facilities to ever facilitate this type of donation utilizing ECS state of the art technology.    

MEDIA: Interviews with Dr. McCann, Ms. Gavulic and Beckie Hoppe are available. Please contact Ilene Cantor, Administrator, Marketing, Community and Public Relations at Hurley Medical Center at 810-262-7164 or icantor1@hurleymc.com.