Getinge Launches Rotaflow II Extracorporeal Life Support System

Getinge has launched the Rotaflow II extracorporeal life support system.
 
Getinge’s Rotaflow II Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) System, together with the Permanent Life Support (PLS) Set, offers up to 14 days of cardiopulmonary support in a compact, portable, safe and reliable manner. This gives health care staff the flexibility they need to provide quality patient care. 
 
Getinge’s new Rotaflow II System is much more than a successor to the old Rotaflow System, but also, a completely new concept with several smart features. It can be used for both veno-arterial (VA) and veno-venous (VV) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). 
 
VA-ECMO supports both the heart and lung in the case of cardiac and/or respiratory failure, while VV-ECMO offers therapy to patients with severe pulmonary insufficiency where conventional ventilation strategies are not sufficient. Both ECMO approaches may serve as a bridge to recovery or further treatment. During the pandemic, ECMO application has provided next-level support for patients in need of greater and longer support than a ventilator can provide.
 
A limited market release has been successfully completed. The release included five German hospitals using two Rotaflow II systems each and the general feedback is positive.
 
“The simplicity of use of the Rotaflow II facilitates safe handling even for less experienced users,” says Jörg Optenhöfel, head of Perfusion at the Clinic for Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School (MHH).
 
Stefan Schied, product manager at Getinge, says: “Our entire Rotaflow II offering is designed to enable a low total cost of ownership by minimizing maintenance downtime, using standardized PLS Sets, and maximizing battery life. All this, without compromising quality or safety.”
 
“In addition, with a new holder concept and a significant weight reduction, we have achieved massive improvements in the area of workplace integration and intrahospital transport that allows positioning of the centrifugal pump and the oxygenator close to the patient while maintaining an ergonomic position of the Rotaflow II base unit,” he continues.
 
With the introduction of the flexible holder concept, the intrahospital transport performance has been significantly improved. It enables the Rotaflow II system to be used very compactly during transport or stationary procedures such as X-ray and CT scans.
 
“This can reduce risks such as unintentional de-cannulation, tripping hazards and save tubing lengths at the same time,” explains Stefan.
 
Following the successful completion of a voluntary limited market release in five hospitals in Germany, Rotaflow II is now being rolled out step by step in the markets.
 
Getinge is the world’s only manufacturer offering two dedicated ECLS solutions; Cardiohelp System and Rotaflow II System.