Oklahoma Children's OU Health Earns ELSO Gold Center of Excellence Designation
When a child’s heart or lungs fail, every second counts. Families across Oklahoma’s 77 counties can trust they’re receiving world-class care at Oklahoma Children’s OU Health, which has earned the prestigious Gold Center of Excellence designation from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). This national recognition affirms the hospital’s expertise in delivering lifesaving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment to critically ill children.
ELSO recognizes programs worldwide that have systems processes and procedures in place that promote excellence and exceptional care. The Gold Center of Excellence designation, which is effective Jan. 1, 2026, places Oklahoma Children’s among an elite group nationwide and confirms its ability to deliver the highest level of care when seconds matter.
In 2024, Oklahoma Children’s provided 39 seriously ill children with ECMO. This year, the hospital estimates it will provide 35 to 40 ECMO treatments.
As part of the University of Oklahoma’s academic health system — and the state’s only comprehensive pediatric provider with a statewide network of experts and clinics — Oklahoma Children’s offers the expertise, technology and outcomes needed to treat the most critically ill children without requiring families to leave Oklahoma.
“This recognition from ELSO is a reflection of the incredible teamwork, training and dedication it takes to care for the sickest children. Families can feel confident knowing that their child is being treated at one of the top pediatric ECMO centers in the country,” said pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Harold Burkhart, M.D., pediatric cardiothoracic surgical program director at OU Health and professor of surgery and chief of the Division of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.
ECMO is a sophisticated technology that temporarily takes over the function of the heart and lungs when a child is too sick to survive without support. It can mean the difference between life and death — buying time for tiny hearts and lungs to heal or for a child to receive transplant.
Earning Gold Center status requires more than advanced equipment. It means having a team of highly specialized doctors, nurses, surgeons, perfusionists and technicians available 24/7. Their coordinated efforts drive a program that continuously measures outcomes, improves care and follows best practices to give critically ill children the best chance at survival and recovery.
Oklahoma Children’s treats newborns with severe heart defects, children with life-threatening infections, teenagers in cardiac arrest and patients whose lungs are failing from pneumonia or other conditions. These are the patients who need more than any standard intensive care unit can provide.
In addition to ELSO recognition, Oklahoma Children’s heart program is ranked among the top 50 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, reflecting its excellence in pediatric cardiac care and outcomes.
Building on this, the recent announcement of the expansion of the pediatric heart program, supported by a historic $20 million gift from the Presbyterian Health Foundation and $200 million in state funding, will establish the Oklahoma Children’s OU Health Presbyterian Health Foundation Heart Center. A new 200,500-square-foot facility will open in 2030 and centralize cardiac services, increase inpatient capacity and enhance surgical, diagnostic and transplant capabilities, ensuring more children can receive advanced heart care without leaving the state.
As part of OU Health’s academic mission, the center will also integrate research, education and clinical excellence in a child-focused environment designed to support healing, innovation and hope.
“These types of recognitions reflect our unwavering commitment to providing the highest level of care,” said Paul Paulisich, MSN, R.N., NE-BC, associate vice president of the Oklahoma Children’s OU Health Presbyterian Health Foundation Heart Center. “We take this opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments with our teams. At the same time, we look to see how we can continue to innovate and provide even better care.”
When your child needs advanced care recognized among the nation's best, you can find it here in Oklahoma.
As a part of the state’s flagship academic health system, OU Health combines patient care with research and education, constantly advancing what is possible in healthcare while changing lives through discovery and healing. The ELSO Gold Center of Excellence designation reinforces that commitment and confirms Oklahoma Children’s standing among the nation’s leading pediatric hospitals.
For more information about pediatric critical care services at Oklahoma Children’s OU Health, visit OklahomaChildrens.org.
