Ension, Inc. has previously developed integrated blood pump-oxygenator technologies offering many advantages over current clinical systems. In particular, the small size of the integrated devices has been well received by our colleagues in the """"""""MedEvac"""""""" field as a potential enabling technology to improve safety of transports with patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Currently, only 1 percent of the MedEvac emergency transport systems in the United States are capable of transporting ECMO or CPB patients due to the physical size, weight, and in-field robustness of the current """"""""portable"""""""" electrical systems. Furthermore, our MedEvac colleagues report that the complexity of patient transport is exacerbated by the unreliable discharge characteristics of rechargeable batteries used to power units during portable operation. Preliminary work performed at Ension supports the development of a new, portable, integrated blood pump-oxygenator that is powered solely by a standard source of compressed gas. Compressed gas is used to drive the unit (pump blood) with the exhaust gas redirected into the unit to provide subsequent oxygenation and decarbonation. If ultimately successful, this approach will completely eliminate the need for battery power resulting in a significantly smaller, simpler, and more robust system suitable for emergency transport uses.
Less than 1% of the MedEvac emergency transport systems in the United States are capable of transporting patients on ECMO, CPB, or a combination of supportive devices. This is problematic since, as healthcare delivery in the United States continues to move to a hub-and-spoke model, MedEvac transport of such critically ill patients is becoming increasingly necessary. The proposed stechnology will enable these MedEvac systems to begin safe transport of this patient population by addressing the limitations posed by size, weight, and in-field robustness of current ECMO/CPB systems used for this purpose.
