Artificial Lung now breathes

Artificial Lung Now Breathes Real Oxygen

( The world might soon be able to breathe easier. Researchers in Cleveland, have come up with a portable artificial lung so advanced that it can use “regular air rather than the pure oxygen required by current artificial lungs,” according to a report from Popular Science .

Joseph Potkay and scientists at Case Western Reserve University are the brains behind the new organ, which has been closely modeled after healthy human lungs, even with miniature artificial blood vessels. This small-scale bio-mimicking provides a “much better surface-area-to-volume ratio, lending the device its higher oxygen exchange efficiency,” according to the PopSci report. Its small size means it could be implanted in recipients and fueled by the heart so it wouldn’t require any additional power supply.

Though more research is required before it can be used on patients, the new technology is a breakthrough, according to reports, because it will offer hope and treatment options to the 200 million people across the globe currently suffering from lung disease. Potkay and other researchers hope that the artificial device will eventually function as efficiently as healthy human lungs.

The Royal Society of Chemistry , a U.K.-based group dedicated to the promotion of science, noted in a recent report that current models of mechanical respiration depend on artificial ventilators that circulate a patient’s blood through a device which then adds oxygen. Jeffery Borenstein, a researcher at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, told the RSC that, “current technology involves complex systems that are limited to intensive care units.” He also noted that Potkay’s device has “the potential to provide clinically relevant oxygenation levels using ambient air, opening the door to portable systems.”

The blogosphere seems to be buzzing with a wide range of reactions to the new breathing apparatus. Comments posted to cnet.com ’s coverage included both supportive and snide interpretations of the story. User Vitality_Russian spoke out in favor, yet with curiosity about the device: 

“That is a remarkable invention, but makes me wonder how something artificial cannot have any side effects.” On the other hand, other users had even more cynical retorts, as user annodomini2 said, “Brains in jars here we come.”
No matter how you feel about Potkay’s artificial breathing technology, it might have the potential to change the way lung conditions are treated.

A full study about the recent findings was published in the journal Lab on a Chip .

Read more: http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpps/dpg_original/artificial-lung-now-breathes-real-oxygen-dpgoh-20110728-ch_14325690#ixzz1TTDmyau2


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