Moves to increase production at heart-lung machine manufacturers March 31 7:06 in preparation for an increase in critically ill patients
In preparation for an increase in the number of patients with severe symptoms due to the infection of the new coronavirus, Japanese manufacturers are moving to increase the production of cardiopulmonary bypass devices called “ECMO”.
ECMO is an artificial heart-lung machine that sends oxygen directly into the blood to temporarily replace the function of the lungs, and is used to treat patients with severe symptoms in which the lungs have failed due to worsening pneumonia. Will be
Terumo, a major medical equipment company in Tokyo, started increasing ECMO production at two factories in Shizuoka Prefecture from the middle of this month.
The scale of the increase is not disclosed, but it was said that the company was preparing to respond to the increase in production, such as by procuring more parts since the outbreak of the new coronavirus was spreading in China.
The government is calling on manufacturers to increase production of ECMO and respirators, and is considering subsidies when making new capital investments.
According to Terumo, "We are working as a manufacturer to respond to the increase in the number of patients in Japan, but it may be an issue to secure medical staff who are familiar with cardiopulmonary bypass devices."