Bringing Life-Saving ECMO Capability to Far North Queensland:
A Transformational Investment in Critical Care

Every year, critically ill patients across Far North Queensland face a reality few metropolitan Australians ever encounter - when catastrophic heart or lung failure occurs, life-saving treatment may be more than 12 hours away.

For some patients, that wait is simply too long.

The Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation is seeking philanthropic support to help establish an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Stabilisation Service at Cairns Hospital Intensive Care Unit - a transformational initiative that would significantly strengthen critical care capability across our region.

This is not simply an investment in equipment. It is an investment in time, survival, equity, and access to advanced life-saving care for regional communities.

What is ECMO?

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation - known as ECMO - is one of the most advanced forms of life support available in modern medicine.

In simple terms, ECMO temporarily takes over the work of the heart and lungs when they can no longer function on their own, allowing the body vital time to recover.

ECMO is used in cases of:

• Severe respiratory failure
• Cardiac collapse
• Massive pulmonary embolism
• Severe sepsis
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome
• Other life-threatening but potentially reversible conditions

For the right patient, ECMO can mean the difference between life and death.

Why This Matters

The impact of this initiative extends far beyond a single piece of equipment.

An ECMO Stabilisation Service would:

• Help reduce preventable deaths
• Improve safety during long-distance transfers
• Strengthen intensive care capability in Far North Queensland
• Support regional and remote communities
• Improve access to advanced critical care for First Nations patients and communities
• Build confidence in local healthcare services

Philanthropic Opportunity

To establish the service safely and effectively, significant investment is required in:

• ECMO equipment and consoles
• Specialist ICU training and education
• Clinical simulation and workforce capability
• Service establishment and implementation support
• Consumables and transport-compatible systems

We are seeking to raise $800,000 to establish this life-saving capability at Cairns Hospital.

Philanthropic investment would allow this capability to be delivered sooner - accelerating access to life-saving care for Far North Queensland patients and families.

A Legacy of Life-Saving Impact

Few philanthropic opportunities offer the capacity to influence outcomes at such a critical moment in a patient’s life.

This is a high-impact initiative that will leave a lasting legacy for:

• patients,
• families,
• clinicians,
• and communities across Far North Queensland.

It is an opportunity to help transform the region’s emergency critical care capability and ensure more families have access to advanced life-saving support closer to home.

Partner With Us

The Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation is proud to support initiatives that deliver meaningful and lasting improvements to healthcare across our region.

We invite you to partner with us in bringing ECMO capability to Cairns Hospital and helping ensure critically ill patients in Far North Queensland receive the best possible chance of survival - when every second counts.