About Innovative ECMO Concepts

Founded in 2014, Innovative ECMO Concepts assembled a group of ECLS experts who shared a single vision and passion: to support the ECLS community. Innovative ECMO Concepts saw first hand the need for more consistent, evidence-based ECMO training, education, and practice. Our mission and vision were born from our goal to increase ECMO knowledge and provide excellent quality care to the ECMO population. It is our intent to support the ECLS community by providing ECMO training and expertise aimed at advancing the rapidly growing ECLS field. We are the only company offering a complete service package, utilizing leaders in the ECLS community.

With Innovative ECMO Concepts, you get:

• Experienced medical professionals proficient in all ECMO platforms – including MDs, RNs, RRTs and perfusionists.
• A highly trained transport team from the nation’s only non-hospital, non-military based ECMO transport center.
• A resources with extensive experience with ECMO patients of all ages, at centers nationwide.

About Our Team

We provide a wide range of services to suit your individual institutional needs. Our ECLS team is highly trained, with experience that is second to none. Each member of our team has extensive, instructor-level ECLS experience in all modes of extracorporeal technology. This allows us the flexibility to adapt to any institution’s needs. Our knowledge is your knowledge – we bring our years of experience to your institution so it is immediately available to your staff.

Thomas Preston, Co-founder

RRT, CCP, CCT, FPP
Mr. Preston has greater than 25 years of experience in critical care and emergency medicine with a primary emphasis on extracorporeal life support (ECLS/ECMO). During this time, Thomas has participated in the training and education of more than 3500 ECMO specialists, provided direct care for hundreds of mechanically supported patients and functioned as the primary perfusionist on congenital neonatal, pediatric and adult cardiopulmonary bypass cases. He is currently an editor for three medical journals and is a frequent instructor for ECMO courses for groups such as Society of Critical Care Medicine, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, The American College of Chest Physicians, ELSO and others. He is a member of the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology, The American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion as well as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Ohio State University. Thomas’s research work focuses on evaluating new ECMO products such as cannulas, oxygenators and pumps and evaluating new simulation tools to improve education and training. He has authored nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles, posters and presentations, and has served as an invited lecturer at a number of national and international symposiums.

Hayden Miller, Co-founder

RRT, CCP
Mr. Miller’s path in critical care began as a registered respiratory therapist.It was during this time that he gained experience in caring for critically ill patients, and which ultimately led to his pursuit of a career in cardiovascular perfusion. Following perfusion training Hayden joined a private perfusion group where he provided both cardiopulmonary bypass and ECLS/MCS support to cardiac surgery and intensive care patients of all age groups for over a decade.  Mr. Miller served many years on the Board of Examiners for Perfusionist for the State of Oklahoma in the capacities of board member, Vice- Chairman and most recently Chairman, as well as assisting the Government Relations Committee for the American Society of Extracorporeal Technology (AmSect) as the liaison for the State of Oklahoma.  Since co-founding Innovative ECMO Concepts in 2014, Mr. Miller has had the opportunity to assist in the education of more than 1500 ECLS clinicians.In addition to educating he continues to expand his clinical experiences in ECLS transport, cardiopulmonary bypass and ECLS management.

Heidi J. Dalton, Medical Director

MD, MCCM
Dr. Heidi Dalton has over 25 years of experience in critical care with a focus on extracorporeal support. She was inducted as a Master of Critical Care in 2014 by the SCCM/ACCM, a designation achieved by less than 100 clinicians worldwide. She has founded and led ECMO programs from neonates through adults, authored over 100 publications, has served for over 10 years with leadership roles for the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) and is a sought-after speaker and advisor for programs around the world. She is a founder of the SCCM ECMO course and the Pediatric Critical Care Board Review Course. She has recently completed an NIH-sponsored evaluation of this topic in over 500 children. She is an associate editor for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and reviews for journals such as Critical Care Medicine, Circulation, Pediatrics, Respiratory Care and others. She is the Clinical Professor of Surgery at George Washington University and Professor of Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. Dalton is one of the leading ECLS experts in the country and serves as the Innovative ECMO Concepts Medical Director. Dr. Dalton is an internationally recognized expert in ECLS and a designated Master of Critical Care Medicine by the American College of Critical Medicine and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. She has been involved with the care and management of hundreds of ECLS patients from newborn through adult over her >20 year career in critical care. She has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles, multiple text chapters and editorials dealing with extracorporeal life support, cardiac and respiratory failure and other critical care issues. Given her unique combination of experience, as a bedside ECLS technician and through directing large critical care and ECLS programs across the country, Dr. Dalton is well-suited to provide the medical oversight required to safely transport
patients, perform program reviews and assist with education and training of new centers or those wanting to refresh or upgrade their program.