Several ECMOs in Leishenshan Hospital have begun to “rest” after the intense battle against the epidemic. They are basically donated or borrowed, and each ECMO is written on which hospital in our country it came from. As of April 9, there were only the last 15 inpatients at Leishenshan Hospital. As the number of patients continues to decline, it won’t be long before these ECMOs return to their original owners.

What is the difference between a ventilator and an ECMO (artificial lung)? What is the main difference between the two? Is ECMO Membrane Lung?

What is the difference between a ventilator and an ECMO (artificial lung)?

Ventilators can only help ventilation, but cannot achieve gas exchange in the lungs. ECMO can achieve the effect of artificial lungs. Some lung diseases are too severe, even if the ventilator assists ventilation, it cannot maintain respiratory function.

Use of a ventilator

Source of information: kznkzn

It is expected to be used in the intensive care environment in professional medical institutions, or when transporting in professional medical institutions, to provide ventilation counseling and respiratory support for adults and children over 16kg. This product should be handled by well-trained, authorized medical personnel. This product is not intended for use in a magnetic resonance (MRI) environment.

For the treatment and monitoring of pediatric (over 5kg) and adult patients with respiratory disorders or hypopnea. It should only be used by medical personnel in hospitals or health care facilities, or for transporting patients to different rooms within the hospital.

In general, ventilators are mainly used for respiratory rescue and respiratory therapy, and are used for ventilation assistance and respiratory support for adults, children, and infants.

Uses of ECMO (Artificial Lung)

Source: dellchildrens

The essence of ECMO is an improved artificial heart-lung machine. The core parts are membrane lungs and blood pumps, which function as artificial lungs and artificial hearts, respectively. It can provide long-term cardiopulmonary support for patients with severe cardiopulmonary failure, and is the rescue of critically ill patients. gain valuable time.

ECMO can draw blood from the body’s large veins out of the body for oxygenation, and then return to the aorta or large veins. Thereby, it partially or completely replaces the cardiopulmonary function of the patient, which is equivalent to an “artificial lung” and “artificial heart” outside the patient’s body.

At present, the domestic ECMO (artificial lung) mainly comes from imports, and there is no domestic manufacturer of artificial lungs.

However, searching for ventilators can find hundreds of ventilator products with three types of medical device registration licenses. In terms of ventilator production, there are already mature technologies in China.

In general, ECMO is higher-end and more functional than ventilators, but ventilators are more commonly used and have a more direct effect.