Extracorporeal Life Support Certification
DNV’s Extracorporeal Life Support Certification (ECLS)recognizes hospitals that provide safe, high-quality, evidence-based care for critically ill patients requiring life support services.
Extracorporeal Life Support Certification
Addressing the need for advanced life support
Extracorporeal life support (ECLS), which includes extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), is one of the most advanced forms of life-sustaining therapy available in modern medicine. Used in cases of severe cardiac or respiratory failure, ECLS can mean the difference between life and death for patients who have exhausted conventional treatments.
However, ECLS is not without its challenges:
- It requires a 24/7 multidisciplinary team, including intensivists, perfusionists, surgeons, nurses, and respiratory therapists.
- Clinical protocols must be precisely designed and faithfully executed.
- Complications such as bleeding, thrombosis, and infection must be rapidly identified and expertly managed.
- Each patient’s course is highly individualized, demanding consistent coordination and vigilance.
As demand and use of ECLS expands, especially in a global health crisis, in paediatric ICUs, and for transplant bridging, the need to ensure quality, safety, and programmatic accountability is more urgent than ever.
What is the ECLS certification?
DNV’s Extracorporeal Life Support Certification provides a rigorous, independent validation that your hospital delivers high-quality ECLS care aligned with national and international standards.
This certification helps:
- Establish and enforce evidence-based clinical pathways.
- Ensure your teams are trained, aligned, and confident in their roles.
- Monitor performance using meaningful metrics.
- Demonstrate excellence to peers, patients, and regulatory bodies.
The certification process includes a comprehensive survey by DNV clinical surveyors with specific ECLS experience. The surveyors assess all aspects of your ECLS program, including:
- Governance and leadership.
- Protocol development and clinical pathway execution.
- Patient selection criteria and contraindications.
- Equipment and technology use.
- Team training and simulation exercises.
- Real-time decision-making and complication management.
- Emergency procedures and escalation plans.
- Quality improvement and outcome tracking.
ECLS certification applies to both adult and paediatric programs and supports facilities delivering care across cardiac, respiratory, and combined indications.
Cardiac Excellence Program
Learn how DNV’s Cardiac Excellence Program helps hospitals achieve superior outcomes through evidence-based care, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Key benefits of ECLS certification
Achieving DNV’s Extracorporeal Life Support Certification affirms that your organization delivers life support care safely, effectively, and consistently.
Clinical excellence:
- Validates your team’s ability to initiate, manage, and wean patients from ECLS.
- Enhances safety through structured, multidisciplinary protocols.
- Drives measurable improvements in clinical outcomes and complication rates.
- Promotes collaboration across ICU, perfusion, cardiology, and surgical teams.
- Aligns multidisciplinary teams around shared clinical protocols and escalation pathways.
- Supports the use of real-time data to drive clinical decisions and continuous improvement.
Trusted experts in healthcare
DNV brings a collaborative and education-focused approach to healthcare certification. We focus on delivering actionable insights that enhance care and drive innovation. Our approach provides:
- Clinically relevant, peer-to-peer evaluations.
- Continual support to maintain lasting improvements.
- Practical tools to reduce risk, streamline workflows, and boost staff confidence.
- A learning-focused culture that encourages long-term excellence in critical care.
Resources to support your Extracorporeal Life Support Certification
Access essential materials to guide your hospital through the ECLS certification process.
Extracorporeal life support advanced certification
DNV offers the first of its kind certification for extracorporeal life support (ECLS) programs as part of our dedication to helping hospitals improve quality and patient safety.
Download our standards
Please complete the form to download the DNV Extracorporeal Life Support program requirements.
