DoD CPB-ECMO Initiative - A Suspended Animation Front Lines Casualty Management System

Abstract : Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the shunting of blood around the heart and lungs, is a well-established technique that permits difficult surgical procedures on the heart and its adjacent main blood vessels. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) uses similar equipment, with the primary goal of temporary pulmonary support by increasing the oxygen content and decreasing the carbon dioxide content of the blood, without the intent of performing open chest surgery. It, too, is a well-developed clinical modality, often used in patients with acute respiratory failure. This project is developing a system of disposable, low cost CPB/ECMO components to treat front lines emergency trauma casualties. By cooling the patient to a low temperature of about 10 C and inducing a state of "suspended animation", a severe trauma victim could be preserved and transported to a medical unit capable of performing the required surgical treatment. The system prototype has completed major milestones including heat transfer requirements, CPB/ECMO commercial components selection, low cost disposable CPB pump, command/control console, and driver design fabrication, and extensive in-vitro testing. It is currently undergoing in vivo testing in two animal models.