SWAAC ELSO 2025: A global event in Abu Dhabi to discuss pioneering life-saving therapy for patients with advanced heart and lung failure

Abu Dhabi, UAE 03/02/25

The 2025 SWAAC ELSO Annual Conference is set to take place in Abu Dhabi. South and West Asia and African Countries [SWAAC] is a chapter of the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization [ELSO] and holds annual conferences that rotate through the member nations. This year’s event is expected to be attended by over 1,000 delegates along with leading experts in the field of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation [ECMO] and industry stakeholders, from all over the world. This premier event is taking place from February 6 to 8, at Conrad Hotel Abu Dhabi. The pre and post conference workshops will be held from February 4 to 10, at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

ECMO is a modern life-saving therapy which can support patients who, despite conventional medical treatment, remain sick and are at imminent risk of dying from severe heart and/or lung failure. Once placed on ECMO, the device takes over heart and/or lung function, allowing doctors to carry out life-saving interventions. The patients remain on ECMO until their own lung or heart recovers or in some cases, until they receive a lung and/or heart transplant. It has also been now widely adopted for patients experiencing cardiac arrest who do not respond to conventional CPR.

Abu Dhabi has been at the forefront of leading the advancement of ECMO in the region for its various indications. Its hospitals saved many lives during the CoViD pandemic, and its use has risen sharply in the Emirate over the past 5 years.

SWAAC ELSO is a regional group of ECMO experts from Southwest Asia and Africa region. Each year, the SWAAC ELSO conference attracts leading medical and allied health professionals, researchers, and educators dedicated to improving the outcomes of critically ill patients by sharing their expertise and best practices in the use of ECMO. The conference promises to offer groundbreaking insights, discussions, groundbreaking research, and new clinical practices in the field of ECMO.

The event will kick off with the specialist training workshops on ‘ECMO Cannulation’ and ‘Paediatric ECMO’ where the delegates will benefit from lectures, simulations, and hands on training. For the first time, the ‘ELSO Train the Trainer or the Instructor Development Course’ will also be held outside the western world, making it more accessible to ECMO educators in Asia, Middle East and Africa. This workshop is dedicated to preparing and up-skilling ECMO educators and to help them design better courses for training future ECMO specialists. All these workshops will be conducted at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s world class simulation center, delivered by an expert global faculty including ECMO experts from Abu Dhabi’s SKMC and CCAD.

This year, alongside SWAAC ELSO conference, Abu Dhabi will also be hosting the ECMONet Annual Meeting. ECMONet is a global network of some of the most well-regarded ECMO researchers, and it is dedicated to advancing the science and application of ECMO therapies, with a focus on setting priorities for future research in the field of ECMO.

The conference is supported by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has accredited participation in the conference with 22.55 Continuing Medical Education (CME) hours, while the workshops and training sessions are accredited with 44 CME hours.

The hosting of this prestigious conference underscores Abu Dhabi’s growing prominence in the critical care sector, particularly in the use of ECMO, which has become a vital life-saving tool for critically ill patients. With the UAE’s ongoing commitment to medical excellence, the SWAAC ELSO Conference will further enhance the region’s reputation as a center of healthcare innovation and education. The event will showcase the UAE's leadership in medical research, training, and advanced treatment modalities, all while fostering global collaboration among ECMO professionals.

“We are incredibly proud to host the 2025 SWAAC ELSO Conference in Abu Dhabi,” said Dr, Praveen Kumar G, Chair of Scientific Committee. We look forward to welcoming colleagues from around the world to discuss the future of ECMO and explore new ways to improve patient care.