Technologies

Introduction

As the number of patients with lung and right heart failure increases, the need for extracorporeal life support also increases. Two methods of providing this support are extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or use of a right ventricular assist device (RVAD), both of which require fluoroscopic guidance if the desired position of a dual lumen cannulae is the pulmonary artery. In many scenarios, the need for fluoroscopy is prohibitive. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a device and associated techniques that allow for bedside ECMO/RVAD placement without dependence on fluoroscopy.

Technology Description

Dr. Michael Nurok and Dr. Joshua Chung have developed a device and associated methods to locate and secure a unique dual lumen cannulae in the main pulmonary artery for ECMO or RVAD. The procedure is carried out percutaneously and does not require fluoroscopic assistance. Instead, the technique utilizes pressure transduction and electromagnetic tracking for guidance.