Extracorporeal Life Support | ECMO

Research Corner for Patient & Family Support

Introduction of the Research Corner: Welcome to the ELSO ECMO Research Corner!

We have heard from many patients and families interested in knowing what is new in ECMO technology.  We are excited to share this page with you to help provide information on current global ECMO/ECLS Technology research to improve patient care and outcomes.

Introduction to the Labs Overall (above the different labs): Research for ECMO started in the early 1960’s by Dr. Robert H. Bartlett (widely known as the Father of ECMO) and a team of other researchers, The first adult patient was supported in 1971 and the first baby in 1975. Since then, ECMO has been used globally for various medical reasons for all ages, with greater than 180,000 patients having been supported on ECMO thus far. Global ECMO Lab Research is currently being conducted to improve outcomes and options for patients which is essential for keeping patients safe and providing new lifesaving treatments. Please see the highlighted labs to learn about their contributions.

Introduction

Our first research corner spotlight features: University of Michigan Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) formerly Michigan Medicine

Professor Emeritus Robert H. Bartlett M.D. brought his research to the University of Michigan in 1980 and has been continuing his research for 50 consecutive years with funding from the NIH. This funding has allowed the team to work on new technologies to save patients suffering from acute cardiac, respiratory, and other organ failure to improve quality of life and to investigate new patient populations and clinical needs.

The technologies and techniques have expanded from babies to kids and to adult patients with either heart and/or lung failure. The need for ECMO use in adults was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic

Current Research Projects:

Below are some of the research initiatives that the Michigan Medicine ECLS Lab is currently working on:

1. Extracorporeal Circulation without the use of anticoagulation (blood thinners)

   Goal: To develop ECMO components that replicate the body's natural process to prevent clotting and decrease the use of anticoagulants (medicine to help prevent blood clots) to reduce complications.

2. Development of an Artificial Placenta

   Goal: To explore the development of a respiratory support device for premature infants with respiratory failure using modified ECMO technology. The premature infant remains in an artificial environment, breathing a simulated amniotic fluid as they would in the uterus.

3. ECMO Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR)

   Goal: To use ECMO technology and new techniques after cardiac arrest to improve survival and minimize complications. A research model was created and training was modified for paramedics and emergency medicine physicians to use this technique.

4. Development of an implantable Pediatric Artificial Lung

   Goal: To develop implantable artificial lung technology for children that can serve as a bridge to recovery or transplantation.

5. Small Artificial Lungs

   Goal:To develop wearable or implantable artificial lungs to provide ambulatory respiratory support to adults with chronic lung diseases such as COPD.

6. Organ Perfusion (EVHP: outside the body Heart Perfusion)

   Goal:Using a modified ECMO system to preserve individual organs outside the body after an extended period of time away from the donor. This process can potentially increase the number of organs available for transplant.

7. Resuscitating Organs for Transplantation (EDCD: ECMO for Donation After Cardiac Death)

   Goal:Using ECMO to improve organ donation for transplantation.

8. Determining the cause of inflammation and organ failure after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for heart surgery

   Goal:To investigate the cause of the systemic inflammation caused by prolonged air exposure and to prevent multiple organ failure caused by inflammation during CPB by using a gas called nitric oxide

Discoveries in Science

The ECLS lab has made numerous discoveries over the years, yielding significant clinical impact and results that have made notable scientific advancements in life support. A few examples of the contributions the Michigan Medicine ECLS lab has made in science include

• Continued improvements by many investigators of related ECLS technologies, including oxygenators, pump systems, and catheters.
• The development and use of nitric oxide (NO) impregnated catheters with antithrombotic and antibacterial properties for use in ECLS components and related systems to further minimize complications and improve outcomes
• Prolonging the function of organs ex-vivo (outside the body) for more than 24 hours to step towards a vision of building an organ bank to decrease the long and life-threatening wait for a transplan
• Developing new ways and devices to perform fetal surgical interventions to minimize complications, including scarring of the uterus.
• Research conducted by the lab investigators on how to recover blood vessels for cardiac bypass surgery led to the development of device-agnostic guidelines and standardized techniques for effective endoscopic harvesting. The work improved patient safety and outcomes during such common procedures.
• The development of novel sensors that are used by nearly every hospital in the United States to monitor gases during heart-lung bypass.