the world`s smallest heart and lung machine

Joas | 5/29/2012

The world`s smallest heart and lung machine has made it`s way to North Dakota and Trinity Health in Minot was the first to have it. It`s called Cardiohelp and it`s a portable artificial lung and heart. It helps patients who are too unstable for surgery.

The device has helped one patient for 54 days.

Trinity Health says they`re proud to be the first to offer this service in the state.

"It allows us not only to stabilize patients, but to potentially transfer them out to a higher level care center, a university for longer term therapy. We don`t have the resources here to manage a critically I`ll patient on this device," said Trinity Health Cardiovascular Surgeon Dr. Christopher Phillips.

Fargo also purchased Cardiohelp shortly after Trinity Health in Minot. Only 20 centers in the United States have this device.