November, 2025

Dear Collegues,

 Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) continues to rapidly expand worldwide and has become an accepted therapeutic option for critically ill patients. Modern ECMO can save lives in severe circulatory and respiratory failure in all age groups. Many consider this new technology as the most important innovation in recent intensive care medicine. The SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic has even accelerated this development, but also raised new questions.

 ECMO technique is complex, and patients, who need ECMO, are critically ill. To successfully use ECMO in clinical practice, training and experience are indispensable. Both the knowledge of physiology and efficiency of ECMO, but also of potential complications is needed. Therefore, since 2018 we offer national and international training courses on ECMO in Regensburg. These courses have been endorsed by ELSO as a STEP 1 course, and received support by the German medical societies DIVI, DGfK and DGTHG.

 The courses will include both lectures in the morning and simulation, hands-on and discussions in the afternoon. It shall be an introduction into ECMO therapy of adults in Critical Care today, embedded within state-of-the-art conventional treatment.

Every year we plan to offer four courses:

1. A five-day international course in English language, which will deal with VV- and VA-ECMO. This shall take place in September (in 2026, September 21 - 25). Registration now is open since April 30; early bird fees until July 15 will be 1500€, thereafter 1750€.
2. A three-day course in German language, covering only VA-ECMO in spring (in 2026, March 2 - 4), primarily intended for physicians and perfusionists. Registration is open, early bird fees until February 1 will be 750€, thereafter 900€
3. Two three-day courses for nurses in German language, one in spring (in 2026, March 23 - 25), one in autumn (in 2026, October 05 - 07). Registration will open approximately 3 months before.
   

An electronic script in combination with the ELSO Red Book (as e-book version) will supplement the course and allow ongoing training.

As soon as available, you will find the current program to the right under "2026", for registration please choose the menue "REGISTRATION"

Regensburg had hosted the 4th international congress of the EuroELSO in 2015. Historically, it was an important mediaeval trading center and served as a bridge from south to north and west to east, and you will be able to enjoy the beauty of our Old City in the evenings.

 We are looking forward to cordially welcome you in Regensburg,

 Thomas Müller                Matthias Lubnow             Alois Philipp              Birgit Heinze

                   Dirk Lunz                          Steffen Pooth                      Dawid Staudacher

    Alexander Dietl                 Maik Foltan                         Marc Dietrich

ECMO Centers Regensburg and Freiburg