Bio-Lung Shane Ramos

According to the United Network of Organ Sharing In 2011, 1,770 lung transplants were performed nationwide. There are currently over 1,700 people awaiting a lung transplant.

Previous Systems to supplement a Lung Transplant The ECMO Machine -extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

ECMO Takes over the functions of both lungs and heart Pumps (mechanically) blood and exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen outside the body. Short-term fix-briefly until lungs have healed enough to begin breathing normally Not for patients who are looking for a long-term supplement. BIO-LUNG Blood never leaves the body No use of mechanical pump Size of a soda can Implanted into the chest Patient’s own heart pumps into the device Consists of hollow plastic fibers perforated with holes for gas molecules to pass through.

Bio-Lung As blood filters through the fibers, carbon dioxide escapes through the holes and is replaced by oxygen from the surrounding air. Then the blood may go directly back to the heart to be pumped to the rest of the body, or it may take a spin through the patient's lungs first. Reasoning Lung will naturally have the ability to filter out clots with out supplements Fresh supply of oxygen to lung tissue Possible for natural lungs and artificial lungs to share in breathing.

The Bio-Lung is not meant to be a lifelong replacement for diseased lungs. At best, researchers hope to buy time for those awaiting a transplant and let them live relatively normal lives while they wait, rather than be tethered to a heavy life-support unit.- ECMO

Robert Bartlett, MD, surgeon at the University of Michigan Medical Center, leads the research on the Bio-Lung After nearly a decade at the drawing board, "We are looking at what we consider final design changes," Merz says. Clinical trials may get under way in one to two years. The National Institutes of Health recently granted Bartlett $4.8 million to continue the research.-PENDING FDA APPROVAL

Works Cited URI BME 281 BME Seminar II. Wikipedia: Biomedical Engineering. <University of Marlyand Medical Center 357oCFRQaOgodTU0AGw closer-to-clinical-trial?page=2