Cooper University Health Care Internationally Recognized with Gold Level Award for Excellence in Life Support

Cooper University Health Care's Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) program, part of the Center for Critical Care Medicine, has earned international recognition as a Gold Level Award winner for Excellence in Life Support from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). The honor, presented at the 36th Annual ELSO Conference in Washington D.C. on September 27, 2025, represents a distinguished level of achievement for ECMO programs worldwide.

Cooper previously earned Silver Level recognition from ELSO in 2022. Advancing to Gold Level places Cooper's ECMO program among the top-performing centers internationally and highlights the program's continued growth and commitment to clinical excellence.

The ELSO Excellence in Life Support Award recognizes centers that demonstrate an exceptional commitment to evidence-based processes and quality measures, staff training and continuing education, patient satisfaction, and ongoing clinical excellence. Awarded at the Gold Level, Cooper's ECMO program ranks among the most elite ECMO programs in the world.

"This milestone reflects the vision and leadership of Dr. Nitin Puri, who helped build our ECMO program from its inception six years ago," said Emily Damuth, MD, section head of ECMO at Cooper, who led the certification effort. "Our team is driven by the patients and families we serve, and this Gold Level Award of Excellence designation is the result of true collaboration among specialists in critical care, cardiac surgery, cardiology, advanced heart failure, vascular and trauma surgery, emergency medicine, perfusion, behavioral medicine, nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, and physical therapy. It represents our shared commitment to advancing life-saving care for our region."

ECMO is a treatment for patients with severe lung failure, heart failure, or cardiac arrest. It is an advanced form of life support used at Cooper in critically ill patients whose heart and lungs are too weak to pump blood or deliver adequate oxygen to sustain the body. ECMO does not heal or cure the lungs or heart directly. Instead, ECMO provides time for the patient's lungs or heart to heal by using a heart-lung machine to oxygenate the blood outside the body.

The goal of the ELSO Award of Excellence is to recognize and honor ECMO programs that achieve the highest levels of performance, innovation, patient satisfaction, and quality.

About Cooper University Health Care's Center for Critical Care Medicine

The Center for Critical Care Medicine provides the highest level of lifesaving inpatient care for the seriously ill and injured. The Center is staffed by physician experts in sepsis, cardiogenic shock, and respiratory failure, and is a major referral source for area hospitals.

About Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO)

The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) is an international non-profit consortium of health care centers and individuals dedicated to the development, evaluation, and improvement of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and other innovative therapies for support of failing organ systems in neonates, children, and adults. ELSO is a multidisciplinary collaboration of physicians, nurses, perfusionists, respiratory therapists, technicians, researchers, and industry experts. Global chapters of ELSO provide education and expertise in ECMO delivery around the world.

About Cooper University Health Care
Cooper University Health Care is a leading academic health system affiliated with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Cooper, headquartered in Camden, New Jersey, has revenues of more than $2.4 billion and an A+ credit rating from both S&P and Fitch Ratings.

Cooper has nearly 14,000 team members, including nearly 1,600 nurses, more than 1,000 employed physicians representing 95 specialties and subspecialties, and more than 600 advanced practice professionals.

Cooper operates MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper as well as three hospitals - its 663-bed flagship Cooper University Hospital in Camden, its 229-bed Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional in Cape May Court House, and Children's Regional Hospital also in Camden.

Cooper University Hospital in Camden is the only Level 1 trauma center in South Jersey and the busiest in the region. The hospital has been recognized as a top-performing regional hospital by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals annual survey for six years.

More than 2.4 million patients visit Cooper's facilities annually. Cooper's ambulatory network encompasses three outpatient surgery centers, several urgent care centers, a wound care center, and more than 130 physicians, physical therapy, and radiology offices extending from the Delaware River to the New Jersey shore.

Cooper was named one of America's Best Large Employers for 2025 by Forbes, ranking among the top 200 in the nation. Visit CooperHealth.org to learn more.

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