Medtronic has announced the launch of a new extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) system—VitalFlow. The system bridges the gap between bedside care and intra-hospital transport, offering physicians and clinicians an easier, smarter ECMO experience, Medtronic says in a press release.
The release of VitalFlow follows the Medtronic acquisition of MC3 Cardiopulmonary, which closed in March 2024. The acquisition marked the culmination of an eight-year partnership and distribution agreement with the Medtronic Cardiac Surgery business resulting in the introduction of seven new ECMO products in seven years.
Prior to the acquisition, MC3 Cardiopulmonary developed and manufactured ECMO products which were exclusively distributed by Medtronic.
“The launch of this technology further underscores Medtronic’s unwavering dedication to developing life-restoring medical devices that address both acute and chronic cardiopulmonary clinical needs, and demonstrates our sustained commitment to this vital field,” said Karim Bandali, president of the Cardiac Surgery business within the Cardiovascular portfolio at Medtronic. “This announcement builds on our recent acquisitions, including a Viant Medical contract manufacturing site and the Penditure left atrial appendage exclusion system. Clinicians can continue to expect a global cadence of bold and unique innovations, focused on addressing diverse clinician needs while enhancing our ability to meet the needs of all cardiac surgery patients.”
The VitalFlow system features a touchscreen that centralises real-time performance data, offers configurability, and is built for long-term performance incorporating the proven Medtronic Nautilus ECMO oxygenator design, the press release adds.
“In gathering feedback from hundreds of clinicians with diverse ECMO specialties, we were able to design the VitalFlow system to address the most pressing unmet needs of simplicity, configurability and performance in an ECMO system,” said Bandali. “The simplicity of the VitalFlow system allows multiple users with varying levels of comfort to serve patients confidently and efficiently. It is easily portable from various departments within the hospital setting, with durable and reliable performance.”
“Clinicians in the ECMO space have evolving needs,” said Pieter Kappetein, chief medical officer, Cardiac Surgery, Medtronic. “With patients’ diseases becoming more complex, there is a growing demand for innovative solutions and comprehensive commitments across multiple disease states. Clinicians expect more from Medtronic and we are uniquely positioned to meet these needs to advance treatment options to better serve their patients.”
