ECMO Program — Nairobi
Establishing Kenya's first ECMO service, in partnership with Aga Khan University
EINZ is partnering with Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUHN) to help establish Kenya's first ECMO service — a multi-year collaboration that began with an intensive inaugural course in September 2026 and continues through ongoing governance, registry and train-the-trainer support.
Over three days at the University's Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME), EINZ faculty delivered a hands-on ECMO course — foundational teaching, high-fidelity simulation and ultrasound-guided cannulation training — paired with the program governance and quality-assurance structures a safe, sustainable service depends on. A train-the-trainer handover left the local team equipped to run a recurring in-house program, so the capability is Kenyan-led. EINZ's support continues as the service moves toward its first patients.
Foundations, simulation and ultrasound-guided cannulation for the core ECMO team.
Complications surveillance, ELSO Registry participation and structured morbidity & mortality review.
Train-the-trainer handover of simulators and 3D-printed models to CIME.
Course faculty combine EINZ's international team — Stefan Wiebe, Julia Coull, Adrian Böhm, with Suraj Yalamuri and Brooke Riley joining remotely — and perfusion and nursing specialists, working alongside clinicians from Aga Khan University Hospital and the CIME team.
An ongoing partnership
Establishing a sustainable ECMO service is a multi-year effort. The inaugural course is complete; governance, registry and train-the-trainer support continue.
Inaugural ECMO course, Nairobi
Three days at CIME: foundational teaching for the wider AKUHN community, then high-fidelity simulation and ultrasound-guided cannulation training for the core ECMO team, closing with a train-the-trainer handover of simulators and 3D-print files. See the full program and course gallery.
Governance, registry & quality assurance
Continued remote support for complications surveillance, ELSO Registry participation and structured morbidity & mortality review as AKUHN builds toward its first patients.
Kenyan-led recurring program
A locally run, in-house simulation and training program — the CIME team delivering future cohorts, with EINZ available for mentorship as the service matures.
Three days at CIME
A record of the inaugural course. Day 1 was open to the wider AKUHN clinical community in a lecture format; Days 2–3 were limited to the core ECMO team — cannulating clinicians, ECMO nurses and perfusion.
A partnership with Aga Khan University
This course is the first step of a longer collaboration: a Kenyan-led ECMO service, supported by EINZ with education, governance and the tools to keep training the next cohort locally. For enquiries about EINZ's capacity-building work, get in touch.
Course Gallery
Highlights from the ECMO course in Nairobi
