Eccor

PURPOSE: Asthma exacerbations are inflammatory events that rarely result in full hospitalization following an ER visit. Unfortunately, certain patients require prolonged support, including occasional external lung support through ECMO or ECCOR (with subsequent further exposure to other life-threatening issues), and some die. In parallel, biologics are revolutionizing severe asthma management, mostly in T2 high patients. METHODS: We extensively reviewed the current unmet needs surrounding ICU-admitted asthma exacerbations, with a focus on currently available drugs and the underlying biological processes involved...

Inhaled carbon monoxide (CO) displaces oxygen from hemoglobin, reducing the capacity of blood to carry oxygen. Current treatments for CO-poisoned patients involve administration of 100% oxygen; however, when CO poisoning is associated with acute lung injury secondary to smoke inhalation, burns, or trauma, breathing 100% oxygen may be ineffective. Visible light dissociates CO from hemoglobin. We hypothesized that the exposure of blood to visible light while passing through a membrane oxygenator would increase the rate of CO elimination in vivo...

Carbon monoxide (CO) has demonstrated therapeutic potential in multiple inflammatory conditions including intensive care applications such as organ transplantation or sepsis. Approaches to translate these findings into future therapies, however, have been challenged by multiple hurdles including handling and toxicity issues associated with systemic CO delivery. Here, we describe a membrane-controlled Extracorporeal Carbon Monoxide Release System (ECCORS) for easy implementation into Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) setups, which are being used to treat cardiac and respiratory diseases in various intensive care applications...

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in the technology of extracorporeal respiratory assist systems have led to a renewed interest in extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal (ECCOR). The Hemolung is a new, low-flow, venovenous, minimally invasive, partial ECCOR device that has recently been introduced to clinical practice to aid in avoiding invasive ventilation or to facilitate lung-protective ventilation. OBJECTIVE: We report our early experience on use, efficacy and safety of the Hemolung in three Australian intensive care units...

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has a substantial mortality rate and annually affects more than 140,000 people in the USA alone. Standard management includes lung protective ventilation but this impairs carbon dioxide clearance and may lead to right heart dysfunction or increased intracranial pressure. Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal has the potential to optimize lung protective ventilation by uncoupling oxygenation and carbon dioxide clearance. The aim of this article is to review the carbon dioxide removal strategies that are likely to be widely available in the near future...

The potential use of carbonic anhydrase (CA), immobilized within membrane lungs, to accelerate the removal of CO2 from blood was investigated. Using a variation on the technique of Chang, 500 micrograms/mL of CA was encapsulated in 5-20 microns cellulose nitrate microcapsules which were then immobilized onto a 0.1 m2 silicone rubber membrane. Using an in vitro test circuit, 0.68 mmol/m2/min of CO2 was removed from venous blood through an untreated membrane at steady state. With the CA-immobilized membrane, CO2 removal was enhanced to 1...