An invention by UCLA’s Dr. Abbas Ardehali could help improve results for patients who undergo lifesaving ECMO procedures.
ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, provides life support for patients whose heart and lungs aren’t functioning properly. The procedure involves pumping blood outside of a patient’s body to a machine that removes carbon dioxide and sends oxygen-filled blood back into the body.
Ardehali, a cardiothoracic surgeon and surgical director of the UCLA Heart and Lung Transplant Program, developed a dual lumen cannula, a catheter that reduces the invasiveness of the procedure. It is meant to increase oxygen delivery for patients with lung failure and improve heart support for patients with right ventricle failure.
The device received FDA approval in November 2021 and is now available for sale. UCLA Technolgy Development Group negotiated the product’s commerical license.
