# Cardiac Output for VV ECMO Patients

> **NIH NIH R43** · TRANSONIC SYSTEMS, INC. · 2020 · $281,298

## Abstract

7. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VV ECMO) is often a last resort for thousands of
patients in need of pulmonary support. This includes patient suffering from lung failure including Acute
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Many times, along with ARDS, patients have or develop pulmonary
hypertension and/or right ventricle failure especially with prolonged duration of ECMO support. A method to
monitor the cardiac status of these patients on VV ECMO to know when low cardiac output is developing and
change the treatment strategy would be very valuable.
The long-term objective of this project is to provide the first noninvasive bedside ECMO Cardiac Output
Monitor for VV ECMO patients of all ages. This will help in routine treatment therapy in intensive care ECMO
population known for the highest mortality rate. It will specifically provide early diagnosis of heart failure and
help in the early initiation of VA ECMO if heart treatment therapy does not work, thus decreasing morbidity and
mortality and cutting costs. This device will consist of two ultrasound sensors that get clamped onto the ECMO
tubing. Measurements are made by injecting saline into the ECMO circuit at two ECMO pump flows and
recording oxygen saturation. Cardiac output is then calculated using the ultrasound dilution curves produced
and the entered information. These values will be displayed on a monitor for the physician to see and
determine the appropriate course of action for the patient.
Initially, software will be developed for the cardiac output calculation after further development of the
mathematical model. Animal studies will be performed on 6-8 pigs at SUNY Upstate Medical University. This
will be to compare and validate the cardiac output measurement technique and help to optimize the software.
Phase I work will end with a preliminary clinical study on 4-8 patients to collect feasibility data at Inova Fairfax
Medical Center and SUNY Upstate Medical University.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10007972
- **Project number:** 1R43HL152851-01
- **Recipient organization:** TRANSONIC SYSTEMS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Nikolai M Krivitski
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $281,298
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10007972

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10007972, Cardiac Output for VV ECMO Patients (1R43HL152851-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10007972. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*