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Saudi Arabia is using ECMO Technology to Treat COVID-19 Patients

Alternative picture of EMCO caption: EMCO machine (Getty Images)
Alternative picture of EMCO caption: EMCO machine (Getty Images)
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Saudi Arabia is using ECMO Technology to Treat COVID-19 Patients

Alternative picture of EMCO caption: EMCO machine (Getty Images)
Alternative picture of EMCO caption: EMCO machine (Getty Images)

The Saudi Ministry of Health’s utilization of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (EMCO) has been successful. The machine has allowed for an increase in the recovery rate of patients suffering from acute respiratory failure caused by the new coronavirus.

It performs the role of the heart and lungs, supporting other organs until they recover and regain their functions. The treatment has been successful in treating nearly 32 patients so far. The machine was used to help patients awaiting open-heart surgery or a lung transplant and has only recently started to be used to treat patients suffering from acute cases of the COVID-19.

It is not a long term treatment; rather, it can only replace the lungs and heart temporarily, while its utilization for long periods leads to an array of complications. It works by tubing blood from the central veins, either in the neck or thigh vessels. It then transfers the blood outside of the body to an artificial lung that warms blood so that it is the same temperature as the blood in the body. It supplies the blood with oxygen while removing carbon dioxide before it pumps it back into it to the body.

The specialized medical team uses EMCO to treat cases of advanced respiratory failure and acute cardiac respiratory failure, as it gives the heart and lungs a chance to recover.

Recent studies have highlighted technology’s increasingly prominent role in treating patients with severe pneumonia caused by both infectious or non-infectious diseases.

Concerning the virus’ spread in the kingdom, the Saudi Ministry of Health announced that the number of recoveries has reached 264,487 after 1528 new recoveries were registered on Saturday. Also, 1,413 were recorded in the last twenty-four hours.

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Chinese Robot 'Guide Dog' Aims to Improve Independence for Visually Impaired

A visually impaired person walks with a six-legged robot "guide dog" during a demonstration of a field test for a Shanghai Jiao Tong University test team, in Shanghai, China June 18, 2024. REUTERS/Nicoco Chan
A visually impaired person walks with a six-legged robot "guide dog" during a demonstration of a field test for a Shanghai Jiao Tong University test team, in Shanghai, China June 18, 2024. REUTERS/Nicoco Chan
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Chinese Robot 'Guide Dog' Aims to Improve Independence for Visually Impaired

A visually impaired person walks with a six-legged robot "guide dog" during a demonstration of a field test for a Shanghai Jiao Tong University test team, in Shanghai, China June 18, 2024. REUTERS/Nicoco Chan
A visually impaired person walks with a six-legged robot "guide dog" during a demonstration of a field test for a Shanghai Jiao Tong University test team, in Shanghai, China June 18, 2024. REUTERS/Nicoco Chan

It's less furry than a traditional companion, but a six-legged Chinese robot "guide dog" could one day help vision impaired people live more independently, according to its research development team in Shanghai.
The robot dog, which is currently being field-tested, is able to navigate its physical environment via cameras and sensors, including recognizing traffic light signals, which traditional guide dogs are unable to do, Reuters said.
Roughly the size of an English Bulldog but a bit wider, it can communicate by listening and speaking with a visually impaired operator with artificial intelligence technology incorporated into its voice recognition, route planning capabilities and traffic light identification. It also has six legs, which the researchers said helps it walk smoothly and with maximum stability.
"When three legs are lifted, there are still three legs .. like the tripod of a camera. It is the most stable shape," said Professor Gao Feng, the head of the research team at Jiao Tong University's School of Mechanical Engineering in Shanghai.
Married couple Li Fei, 41, and Zhu Sibin, 42, are among the visually impaired people helping the Jiao Tong University team test the robot using Chinese-language commands.
Li is completely blind and Zhu sees only a little, normally using a cane to assist him in getting around.
"If this robot guide dog comes onto the market and I could use it, at least it could solve some of my problems in traveling alone," Li said. "For example, if I want to go to work, the hospital or the supermarket (now) I cannot go out alone and must be accompanied by my family or volunteers."
Robot guide dogs are under development in other countries, including Australia and Britain, but China has a drastic shortage of traditional guide dogs.
In China, there are just over 400 guide dogs for almost 20 million blind people, Gao said.
Pet ownership and service animals are also relatively new concepts in the country, meaning many workplaces, restaurants and other public areas wouldn't welcome a more traditional helper like a Labrador.
Unlike those dogs, which will always be limited in supply due to the natural limitations of breeding and the intense training required, Gao said the production of robot guide dogs could be scaled, especially in a major manufacturing hub like China.
"It's a bit like cars. I can mass-produce them in the same way as cars, so it will become more affordable," Gao said. "I think this could be a very large market, because there might be tens of millions of people in the world who need guide dogs."