A mobile system for the treatment of accidental hypothermia with extracorporeal circulation

When deep accidental hypothermia causes circulatory failure, the best chanc e of survival Is treatment with extracorporeal circulation (ECC) and warmin g of the blood. This may be difficult to achieve If the patient is first ad mitted to a hospital without a department of thoracic surgery. Our aim was to test a lightweight mobile system for ECC. The equipment could be transpo rted almost anywhere, making it possible to start ECC on the spot and durin g transfer. The system was tested on six hypothermic pigs, two of the pigs at the institute laboratory, two of the pigs in a normal ambulance, and two of the pigs in an air force rescue helicopter All of the pigs were transpo rted back to the institute for warming to normal temperature. After warming , and the ECC stopped, all the pigs were In sinus rhythm and had an obvious ly satisfactory circulation. It is possible to bring a lightweight ECC syst em to the unstable patient. Treatment is possible in any hospital, ambulanc e or helicopter.