Perspectives of the extra corporeal membrane oxygenation – Key insights from mathematical analysis

Abstract

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenator is a life-saving critical medical equipment for cardio-pulmonary support, for treatment of severe chronic respiratory distress. The equipment performance is dependent on the type of membrane, flow configuration, and blood physiology. Lot of research efforts are focused on the development of novel membrane. However, the cardiovascular pulsations and blood physiological conditions on the flow and associated transport is important, which was not explored significantly. Here, we investigate the impact of the frequency of flow oscillations on the oxygenation profile. The physiological parameters which affect the blood oxygenation profile is investigated in detail. The oscillations in the oxygen transfer rate profiles are suppressed, as the blood flow rate is reduced, and the oxygen saturation is completely out-of-phase with the flow rhythm (saturation is maximum when the flow is minimum). We present the phase space to easily decide on the required combination of process variables or design specifications, needed to achieve the target oxygen saturation, based on the patient blood physiology. The present effort in understanding the process, can lead to improved performance and design of this life-supporting equipment. The results provide clear recommendations from the clinical perspectives. The outcome of the work will be useful to the engineering (biomedical) community in realizing the role of fluid flow and transport phenomena in extracorporeal oxygenation, under varied physiological conditions.