Fabrication of Medical Cannula for advanced extracorporeal life support devices.

体外膜氧合（ECMO），也称为体外生命支持（ECLS），是一种为心脏和肺无法维持生命的人提供长期心脏和呼吸支持的技术。ECMO系统为血液充氧，接管肺部和心脏的运作，让器官休息和恢复，或在等待器官移植时。当前的ECMO系统对于在现场使用来说是庞大且复杂的，并且位于医院的ICU（重症监护室）中。由于其已被证明的救生能力，在救护车上使用ECMO装置的趋势很强。加拿大公司Elsius Biomedical Corp.正在开发一种便携式ECMO系统来满足这一需求。ECMO系统的一个关键组成部分是套管或管，它将系统连接到患者，使血液能够在复氧后排出并重新引入患者体内。这些插管具有使ECMO过程能够工作的特定要求，例如插入后的柔韧性、抗扭结性、长期生物相容性、放置标记、双腔和流量控制，仅举几例，并且难以制造。 Elsius将继续与道尔顿集团合作，调查、设计、评估和开发一种可靠的自动化插管微加工工艺，这将使Elsius能够完成其ECMO生产周期。该项目将通过识别和控制关键工艺变量（如插管几何形状、涂层温度和浸渍时间）来解决制造插管的复杂微加工工艺中的技术挑战，以确保均匀分层。一旦优化，该过程将自动化，以创建可重复和可靠的制造过程。加拿大目前没有插管制造商。由于插管可用于其他医疗情况，如心脏手术和神经外科手术，这种工程解决方案将为加拿大医疗保健系统带来许多好处。

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), also known as extracorporeal life support (ECLS), is a technique of providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to sustain life. ECMO systems oxygenate the blood, taking over operation of the lungs and heart, allowing the organs to rest and recuperate, or while waiting for organ transplant. Current ECMO systems are bulky and complex for use in the field and are situated in hospitals ICUs (Intensive Care Units). Due to their proven lifesaving abilities, there is a strong move toward having ECMO units in ambulances. Canadian company Elsius Biomedical Corp. is developing a portable ECMO system to address this need. A crucial component of ECMO systems are the cannula, or tubes, that connect the system to the patient, enabling removal of the blood and reintroducing it back into the patient after reoxygenation. These cannulae have specific requirements to enable the ECMO process to work, such as pliability after insertion, kink resistance, long term biocompatibility, placement markers, dual lumen and flow control, to name a few, and are difficult to manufacture. Elsius is continuing a partnership with the Dalton Group to investigate, design, evaluate and develop a reliable and automated process for cannulae microfabrication which will allow Elsius to finalize their ECMO production cycle. This project will address technical challenges in the complex microfabrication process to create cannulae, by identifying and controlling key process variables such as cannulae geometry, coating temperature and dipping time, to ensure uniform layering. Once optimized, the process will be automated to create a repeatable and reliable manufacturing process. There are currently no cannulae manufacturers in Canada. As cannulae can be used in other medical situations, like cardiac surgery and neurosurgery, this engineering solution will result in many benefits to the Canadian Healthcare system.