A team of researchers at Mississippi State University’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems are working on a new design for an artificial lung that could help children waiting on a transplant.
Researcher Greg Burgreen and the team he is a part of, which includes researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, are using a grant from the National Institutes of Health to research the development of a more portable breathing device for children with damaged lungs.
MSU said in a release that children with chronic lung diseases often must wait months or even years for a transplant. Immobile and outdated hospital equipment can impact patients positively, but may also cause their condition to deteriorate by overtaxing their damaged lungs.
The research collective is currently using computational prototyping to develop digital models of a device called the Pediatric Paracorporeal Assist Lung (P-PAL). When fully developed, the device will be about the size of an average adult fist.
“One of the hardest things in this type of research is trying to mimic the sophistication and efficiency of human physiology without causing mechanical damage to blood,” Burgreen said.
The device will involve tubes connected invasively to the body via either the femoral artery or jugular vein.
It is hoped that through computational prototyping, researchers can develop the device faster as opposed to being tested using physical models.
Though clinical use by patients is still on the horizon, Burgreen said researchers view the device as a major therapeutic improvement, if not a full treatment, for children with lung diseases.
“Mississippi State University is helping to improve and prolong the lives of children suffering from lung diseases,” he said.