Extracorporeal Membrane Oxgenation (ECMO) is a term given to a clinical procedure used to provide respiratory support for ill neonates. This procedure requires access to two sources of venous blood when performing the procedure as veno-venous (VV) by-pass. Blood is drained from the right atrium via a cannula in the right jugular vein, oxygenated by a membrane lung and returned via the fermoral vein. The drawbacks of this technique are the added time for cannulation and lower extremity venous insufficiency resulting from femoral ligation. Additionally, VV ECMO is preferred over venoarterial ECMO because the carotid artery is preserved. The Phase I proposal is for the design and assembly of a flexible thin-walled double lumen cannula (DLC) suitable for neonate application. The DLC obtains access via the jugular vein to the right atrium where drainage and perfusion occur simultaneously. Experiments were conducted using proto-type DLC's with results indicating the DLC can provide adequate support and has advantages for use over the two cannula method for vV or VA ECMO. The benefits will be less patient morbidity. The Phase II research includes development and human testing of the ECOMO DLC to prove safety and efficacy, with the final goal having the cannula commercially available.
