Compact ECMO System with Pneumatic Pulsatile Pump
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current ECMO systems are bulky, location-dependent, require complex operation, and are prone to thrombi formation due to their design, making them difficult to use outside specialist clinics and limiting their portability and duration of use.
Innovation Solution
A compact ECMO system integrating a pulsatile blood pump and gas exchanger in a single housing, with direct cannula connections and pneumatic drive, eliminating the need for a reservoir and reducing the risk of emboli formation, allowing for portable and flexible operation without the need for electrical components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ECMO systems use traditional centrifugal pumps and oxygenators from heart-lung machines, then gas exchange function is achieved, but the system becomes bulky and location-dependent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pump and oxygenator into a single integrated housing, eliminating the need for separate components and connections. This merging reduces the overall system volume while maintaining both pumping and gas exchange functions, directly resolving the contradiction between functional reliability and compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump chamber is positioned within or adjacent to the oxygenator housing, with the pump inlet and outlet directly connected to the oxygenator blood inlet and outlet. This nested arrangement allows one component to be effectively contained within or integrated into the other, minimizing the total volume occupied by the system.
2Reliability
If ECMO systems use large surface extracorporeal components, then gas exchange capacity is improved, but thrombi formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump operates with a pulsatile flow pattern rather than continuous flow, creating periodic pressure changes that prevent blood stasis and reduce thrombus formation on the oxygenator surfaces. This periodic action maintains adequate blood flow velocity while enabling effective gas exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the flow parameter from continuous to pulsatile, and optimizes the surface area to volume ratio of the oxygenator to minimize thrombus formation while maintaining sufficient gas exchange capacity. The integrated design reduces dead spaces where blood stasis could occur.
3Power
If ECMO systems use electrical motors to drive pumps, then pumping function is achieved, but portability and flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electrical motor-driven pumps with a pneumatic drive system using a diaphragm pump. This substitution eliminates the need for electrical components, making the system portable and suitable for use outside clinical settings while maintaining adequate pumping function through pneumatic actuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump is driven by pneumatic pressure applied to a diaphragm, creating a portable system that does not require electrical power. This pneumatic drive mechanism provides sufficient pumping power while enabling the system to be moved and used in various locations, directly addressing the portability requirement.
4Ease of operation
If ECMO systems include reservoirs and complex tubing, then blood flow management is improved, but the risk of emboli formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the reservoir component from the system, using direct cannula connections between the patient and the integrated pump-oxygenator unit. This extraction eliminates potential sites for thrombus formation and emboli generation while simplifying the overall system design and reducing the number of connection points.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses direct, short cannula connections that segment the blood path into minimal necessary components, eliminating long tubing and reservoirs where blood stasis and clot formation could occur. This segmentation approach maintains blood flow management while reducing emboli risk.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables quick deployment, reduces thrombi formation, and operates independently of location with minimal power supply, facilitating easier patient transport and reducing the risk of blood clot formation on supply lines.
Implementation Method 1
The transport of gas takes place, as is also the case in the lungs, via the concentration gradient between the blood and the oxygen which is supplied to the oxygenator.
Implementation Method 2
The pumps of the ECMO systems are also borrowed from the heart-lung machine. Centrifugal pumps with a radial or diagonal design are used, which are driven via an electric motor.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an arrangement having a blood pump and a gas exchanger for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. According to the invention, the blood pump is designed as a pulsatile blood pump and is arranged with the gas exchanger in the same housing. The pulsatile blood pump and the gas exchanger are preferably connected to the same gas source so that the blood pump can be pneumatically driven. The novel ECMO system has a simple design, is flexible, and in particular can be used directly on the patient.