MICROWAVE DEVICE FOR BLOOD WARMING AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL

IT IS ESTIMATED THAT ALMOST 75,000 PERSONS WILL DIE EACH YEAR OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY INSUFFICIENCY CAUSED BY LUNG DISEASE. TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION (ECMO) IS USED TO PROVIDE EXTERNAL PUMPING AND MEMBRANE OXYGENATION TO ASSIST THE WEAKENED OR FAILING HEART. HEAT EXCHANGERS IN THE EXTRACORPOREAL CIRCULATION (ECC) PATH ARE NECESSARY TO PREVENT WATER LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH EVAPORATIVE HEAT LOSS IN LONG-TERM ECMO. HERE, A SHORT PATH LENGTH IS PARTICULARLY DESIRABLE TO MINIMIZE TRAUMA TO BLOOD COMPONENTS COMING IN CONTACT WITH FOREIGN SURFACES. HEAT EXCHANGERS CAN ALSO BE USED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF HYPOTHERMIA AND ITS ASSOCIATED COAGULOPATHY OCCURRING WITH TRAUMA, THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN YOUNG AMERICANS. A SMALL, PORTABLE UNIT USED IN THE LINE WHERE BLOOD AND FLUID ARE GIVEN COULD BE USED AS EARLY AS THE PREHOSPITAL PHASE OF SUPPORT TO PREVENT HYPOTHERMIA. A MICROWAVE TRANSMITTER (HEATER) SYSTEM IS PROPOSED TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH LONG-TERM BLOOD WARMING FOR ECMO AND SHORT-TERM, RAPID WARMING FOR TRAUMA. THIS SYSTEM WOULD BE SMALL, PORTABLE, AND PROVIDE FOR A SHORT ECC PATH. IN ADDITION, A CLOSED-LOOP TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE BY COMBINING A PASSIVE, NONINVASIVE, MICROWAVE THERMOMETRY SYSTEM WITH THE TRANSMITTER.