China successfully develops first ECMO machine

(ECNS) -- China's first extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine has been successfully applied in clinical practice.

Applied in therapy of three severely-ill patients and helping them recover, the machine and entire system have been proved successful.

In its development, the research team worked on the merits of products of its type and their weakness in terms of clinical use. They added magnetic navigation and control, new coating and other technologies to this domestically-oriented machine that is expected to replace foreign counterparts. After more than ten years of effort, breakthroughs have been made and fruits borne.

ECMO machines are crucial in life-saving situations but foreign-monopolized technologies and other costs adding up to no less than $15,000 have long discouraged domestic patients.

The research team hopes the machine could be popularized, not only in China but also other countries in the world and more breakthroughs can be made in China toward other high-end medical equipment. The price for this machine could be cut to lower than 20 percent to make it affordable for more patients so that their lives could be saved.