A portable extracorporeal resuscitation console (PERC) will be developed as a standard device for applications of extra corporeal circulation (ECC). ECC has evolved beyond its traditional function in cardiac surgery and hemodialysis, and now is being used for emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the emergency room and cardiac catheterization laboratories, rapid warming for hypothermia victims, hyperthermic therapies for cancer and HIV patients, and hemofiltration. These innovative uses of ECC would be greatly enhanced and more widely employed if a standard ECC system existed that was versatile enough to meet the demands of various ECC applications. The PERC system will integrate ECC hardware and disposables into a common console, with a central data processing and control computer. PERC will be capable of providing cardiopulmonary support, hyper/hypothermic therapy and hemofiltration. Setup will be simplified, and priming automated such that PERC can be employed in no more than ten minutes. Phase I will include the design of data and power connections between electronic components. Disposable ECC circuit elements will be configured for ease of loading and accessing. The console packages will be designed in a 3 dimensional computer rendering, which will be used in Phase II for system construction and testing.
A large number of emergency rooms and cardiology laboratories would be expected to use the PERC system, providing a large potential market. Another likely market is ECLS in intensive care units.
