New Technology Feature: The LIFEBRIDGE B2T® Compact Heart-Lung System
About the Company: LIFEBRIDGE® Medizintechnik AG is an innovative medical-engineering company and engages in the task of developing, producing and marketing life-saving support systems which apply state-of-the-art technologies to extracorporeal circulation. In Germany alone, almost 400,000 people die each year due to cardiac failure. In the terminal phase, many of these patients suffer cardiogenic shock, a life-threatening deficiency to maintain blood supply to brain, kidneys, liver, gout etc. Only one in ten patients survives as a result of the resuscitation measures undertaken, which can only ensure sufficient blood supply to the vital organs for less than an hour. Not infrequently, the consequence is irreversible damage to organs which can result in the necessity for a high level of permanent care. Therefore LIFEBRIDGE® Medizintechnik AG has for many years been dedicating itself intensively to a technical development which enables to bring immediate heart and lung assistance to patients suffering from acute cardiocirculatory failure and which improves their chances to survive.
About the Technology:
The LIFEBRIDGE B2T® (“Bridge to Therapy”) is a miniaturized and compact heart-lung support 
system. LIFEBRIDGE B2T® is ready for use in less than 5 minutes (“plug and run”), in order to stabilize the circulation of the acutely affected patient as quickly as possible and thereby prevent further impairments to organ functions. Should appropriate therapy only be available at other locations, LIFEBRIDGE B2T® can become a life-saving accompaniment. For this purpose it can be used for the most part independently and can be carried by a single person (for example, by a paramedic) without difficulty. The system can be easily operated and accommodated within the confines of a rescue helicopter or other emergency ambulance, thereby opening up completely new perspectives for safe medical intensive-care transport.
State of Development:
Following successful conclusion of experimental trials, the LIFEBRIDGE B2T® system is currently undergoing CE approval procedures. In this connection, it has been subjected to and passed extensive endurance and stress tests. As part of these procedures, the various high-level safety and quality standards are currently being verified and process improvements implemented.
The safety-oriented thinking which has already dominated product development of LIFEBRIDGE B2T® can be traced like a thread through the company’s technical division and therefore also through our network of development and production partners and suppliers. With the quality assurance system which is now being set up, LIFEBRIDGE B2T® provides the uncompromising guarantee of quality which both patients and users expect from a medical-engineering product built to preserve life.
Technical Data:
| Maximal blood flow: | 6 liters/minute |
| Set-up time: | less than 5 minutes |
| Air elimination: | fully automatic |
| Safety: | 7 levels of protection against air embolism |
| Power supply: | 110/220V~ or 24V= (mobile) |
| Battery operation: | ~ 2 hours |
| Weight: | ~ 18 kg |
| Dimensions: | 60cm x 61cm x 30cm (Length/Height/Width) |
