ecomo working principle

Principle of ecomo: When ecomo is in operation, blood is drawn from the vein, absorbing oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide through the membrane lungs. The gas-exchanged blood, driven by the pump, can be returned to the vein (VV pathway) or to the artery (VA pathway). ecomo is essentially a modified artificial heart-lung machine, and the most central part is the membrane lungs and the blood pump, which act as the artificial lungs and the artificial heart, respectively.

The ecomo mainly consists of an endovascular cannula, connecting tubes, a power pump (artificial heart), an oxygenator (artificial lung), an oxygen supply tube, a monitoring system, and other parts. The power pump (artificial heart), provides the power to drive the blood through the tube. There are two main types of power pumps in the clinic: rolling pumps and centrifugal pumps. Roller pumps are not easy to move and are difficult to manage. Centrifugal pumps are preferred for emergencies and have the advantage of being easy to install and move, easy to manage, and less blood damage.

Oxygenators (artificial lungs), oxygenate the incoming blood and output oxygenated arterial blood. Oxygenators are divided into two types: silicone membrane type and hollow fiber type. Silicone membrane type has good biocompatibility, less plasma leakage, less destruction of blood components, and is suitable for long time use. Hollow fiber type membrane lungs are easy to exhaust, plasma leakage is visible in 2-3 days, and the destruction of blood components is relatively large.