Japan : Invents a system to restore the heart's blood circulation function within 3 minutes of its stoppage

Scientists from a Japanese university have announced the development of a system capable of resuming the heart's blood circulation within three minutes of its stopping.

According to a team from Tohoku University in Japan, the inspiration for creating such a system came from the fatal shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022.

The team said the system is designed to provide assistance in emergency situations such as terrorist attacks and other public emergencies.

According to a report published by the Japanese news agency "Jiji Press", the system was developed by Yasuyuki Shiraishi, an associate professor at the university's Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, and his team members.

"If we can control the bleeding and perform an emergency thoracotomy (an operation in which the chest wall is opened to view the internal chest organs), there is a chance to save the patient's life," the team said in announcing the innovative system.

The system is designed to enable blood circulation to resume within three minutes, with medical staff dividing tasks to secure the patient's airway, perform emergency thoracotomies, and administer blood transfusions.

While resuscitation and intubation are performed in emergency situations, doctors simultaneously install an artificial pump by puncturing the left ventricle of the heart, which supplies blood to the rest of the body.

Circulatory functions can be resumed by securing a blood transfusion route connecting the pump to the femoral artery.

The pump is then connected to the femoral artery to establish blood flow to restore the heart's circulatory function.

In scenarios where femoral artery access is difficult due to the location of the lesion, the system calls for an alternative approach.

Furthermore, the system also allows the addition of an artificial lung for those cases where there is a lung injury.

“The window to prevent brain death after circulatory arrest is only three minutes,” the research team said in the report. “A system that can resume circulation within this time frame is critical. In emergency situations, faster methods than those we have now remain impractical.”

"If this system is implemented, it could significantly increase the number of patients saved," the team said.