Hartford Business Journal

30 Hartford Business Journal • December 9, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com 30 Hartford Business Journal • December 9, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com HEALTH CARE HEROES 2019 Hartford Hospital team flies to the aid of CT's sickest patients By Liese Klein Special to the Hartford Business Journal L ying in the cath lab of a community hospital, the patient didn't stand much of a chance. He had suffered a major heart attack while working out at the gym and he remained in severe shock, his heart too weak to keep him alive for long. The patient desperately needed treatment at a major heart center but he was too sick to be moved. Enter Hartford Hospital's three- person ECMO team, flying in by helicopter to offer lifesaving treat- ment. Led by Dr. Jason Gluck, the specialized trio hooked the patient up to devices that temporarily took the place of both his heart and lungs — pumping blood, supplying oxygen to the blood and removing carbon dioxide. Once stabilized, the patient was transported to Hartford Hospital, where he eventually re- ceived a heart transplant. He is now recovering at home and has become an advocate for requiring defibrilla- tors in every gym in the state. "That's an example of how the program works," Gluck said, describing the "ECMO on the Go" team that he has pioneered at Hartford Hospital. ECMO, or extra- corporeal membrane oxygenation, is a once-obsolete treatment that has been retooled in recent years to help the sickest patients suffer- ing heart and lung failure. Using cutting-edge techniques, trained experts and revamped devices, Gluck's team has mobilized ECMO and the state's emergency trans- port system for use around Con- necticut. "It's too hard for every hospital to have this technology because the techniques and management are challenging," Gluck said. "[ECMO on the Go] is a real good solution for a hospital that doesn't have the technology, to call us in and we can help." Since the mobile ECMO team's creation in 2013, 53 patients across the region have been treated and transported for further care to Hartford Hospital. In a field where a 50-per- cent survival rate indicates a "top- tier" program, Hartford Hospital's mobile ECMO program boasts a 67-percent survival rate. Gluck's unusual background plays a key role in the success of the ECMO team, colleagues said. The son of a "pool guy" on Long Island, Gluck grew up fascinated by the mechanics of pumps, which initially led him to a career as a New York City firefighter. He then enrolled in medical school and was drawn to the field of cardiology upon his graduation in 2003. The human heart is basically a pump "not so dif- ferent from fire pumps," he said. His background as a first re- sponder led Gluck to explore the potential of the retooled ECMO technology as soon as he joined Hartford Hospital in 2010 as director of mechanical circulatory support and emergency cardiac care. He looked to Europe and the military, which uses ECMO in the field to save lives. "There are lots of reasons why this technology can be employed," Gluck said. "Why can't we do it here in Connecticut?" The size of a small suitcase, the hardware behind ECMO consists of a compact pump, oxygenator and tubing, connected to the patient through a cannula, or thin tube inserted into a blood vessel. The mobile ECMO team is made up of a cardiologist, surgeon and perfu- sionist, or specialist in heart-lung machines. "[ECMO] can provide very robust support; it can eventually take over for both the heart and lungs, allow- ing the body to recover," Gluck said. Improved pump design and better techniques have made the tech- nology more versatile in the last decade, he added. Tinkering in his garage, Gluck also crafted a simulator to allow for ad- vanced training with the ECMO devices at Hart- ford Hospital. Beyond the technical and training chal- lenges of ECMO, Gluck has also had to coordinate response with medical transport teams and health centers across the region. "He has created this network with the EMS system, Life Star and other hospitals to help people who other- wise might not make it," said David Rosinski, director of cardiovascular perfusion at UConn Health, Con- necticut Children's Medical Center and Waterbury Hospital. "He's done it and it's really impressive. It's pio- neering for our area." Gluck has also become a national and international leader in ad- vocating for the expanded use of ECMO to save lives. "He's a young, charismatic leader in the field," Rosinski said. "He's taken it to a whole different level." With flu season underway, Gluck said that ECMO should be on the minds of all caregivers and those at risk from the virus. "Anybody whose loved one has a severe case of flu really should be asking their doctor, 'Is my loved one a candidate for ECMO?" Gluck said. "There's often times an oppor- tunity for us to come help." Category: Corporate Achievement — Innovation Hartford Hospital's Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation or ECMO Team, led by Dr. Jason Gluck "It's too hard for every hospital to have this technology because the techniques and management are challenging."

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