A Wearable Extracorporeal CO₂ Removal System with a Closed-Loop Feedback.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Respiratory Physiology

Background:

• Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal (ECCO2R) systems aid severe respiratory failure patients.
• Ambulation and physical therapy improve outcomes but are hindered by current ECCO2R system bulk and metabolic variability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test the first prototype of a wearable ECCO2R system.
• To create a system that dynamically adjusts to patient metabolic and acid-base changes.

Main Methods:

• Developed a wearable ECCO2R system using exhaust gas CO2 (EGCO2) as a proxy for blood CO2 (pCO2).
• Integrated twin blowers to modulate sweep gas flow based on real-time EGCO2 feedback.
• Conducted 24-hour in vitro testing with water under simulated metabolic conditions and a single test with ovine blood.

Main Results:

• The system rapidly adjusted sweep gas to meet target EGCO2 within 1 minute when challenged with varying inlet pCO2.
• Negative feedback control maintained target EGCO2 more effectively than fixed sweep gas under flow variations.
• Confirmed system functionality with whole blood.

Conclusions:

• This wearable ECCO2R prototype represents a significant advancement in responsive extracorporeal support.
• The technology facilitates physical therapy and enhances patient mobility and autonomy.
• Further development is crucial for clinical translation of responsive wearable ECCO2R devices.