Lovkesh Arora, MBBS, MD, has been named Medical Director for the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Program at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics’ Heart and Vascular Center. The appointment was effective Oct. 1, 2019.

 Lovkesh Arora, MBBS, MD

“We are excited for Dr. Arora’s research interests and feel he can take our program to the next level,” the ECMO core team said in a statement. “His first-hand knowledge of ECMO patient management will provide significant insight as we partner with multidisciplinary teams to push the University of Iowa’s ECMO program to the forefront of ECMO training and research.”

Arora, who specializes in critical care, transplant, and vascular anesthesia, is the first anesthesiologist to head the ECMO team in its 25-year history at the University of Iowa. The ECMO team is part of the Extracorporeal Life Support Services division, which comprises physicians, nurses, and other providers from various intensive care units and works closely with the cardiothoracic surgery and heart failure divisions.

Arora says he’s excited about the opportunity to lead the ECMO team. “It’s a chance to build a robust ECMO program to serve critically ill patients in the best possible way,” he says.

The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics is one of 31 ECMO Centers of Excellence in the world with Gold Level standing.

Arora earned his MBBS and MD degrees at B.J. Medical College, Gujarat University, in India, and completed his residency in anesthesia at The Cleveland Clinic, as well as fellowships in Critical Care in Anesthesia and Solid Organ Transplant in Anesthesia at the University of Miami. He joined the Department of Anesthesia in 2014 and since then has become board-certified in Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography and Critical Care Echocardiography. In addition to his clinical duties, he serves as director of the vascular and critical care resident rotations for the Department.