Development of extrauterine fetal incubation system using extracorporeal membrane oxygenator

Despite the recent progress in perinatal medicine, it is still difficult to manage the extremely immature newborn. A new extrauterine incubation system has been developed using 14 goat fetuses. The goat fetus is surrounded by artificial amniotic fluid and is connected to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenator. The blood is drained from the umbilical arteries and returned to the umbilical vein. The perfused blood is recirculated and ventilated with a mixture of O2, N2, and CO2 gases to obtain a PO2 of 30-35 mm Hg and a PCO2 of 30-35 mm Hg in the umbilical venous blood. Fetal heart rate, blood pressure, electroencephalogram, and several movement parameters are continuously recorded by the polygraph. With this system, the fetuses can be kept under fairly stable physiological conditions for periods up to 165 h. This improved system might therefore become a useful method to manage the ill fetuses and newborns.