Portable Artificial Lung Technology Could Reshape Care for Chronic Lung Disease

Chronic lung disease can leave patients dependent on prolonged mechanical ventilation or awaiting transplantation, both of which carry substantial morbidity and healthcare costs. Ventilatory support may further injure fragile lungs and often requires deep sedation, limiting mobility and recovery. With hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations each year for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the need for alternative support strategies remains significant. Engineers have now developed a portable artificial lung designed to provide blood-based gas exchange without invasive ventilation.

The pulmonary assist system from Advanced Respiratory Technologies (ART), a Carnegie Mellon University spinoff, is designed for use in hospital care. The company reports it could reach clinical settings within a few years, targeting patients with advanced chronic lung disease who lack durable, mobility-preserving options.

The system circulates blood through plastic cannulas inserted in the neck or chest and into an external module that removes carbon dioxide while oxygenating blood before returning it to the patient. It operates on the circulation rather than inflating the lungs, distinguishing it from mechanical ventilation. Because it does not require airway intubation, the approach aims to keep patients awake, able to eat, and capable of independent movement during support.

A major engineering challenge has been preventing clot formation when blood contacts artificial surfaces. ART reduced thrombogenic risk by making the device as compact as possible to minimize exposed surface area. The blood-contacting components are coated with a bioengineered material that elicits a water-like interaction, which the team reports prevents clotting within the device.

Development has advanced with support from CMU’s Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation and the LifeX Accelerator. The team sees potential applications for veterans, who experience higher rates of chronic lung disease, as well as in trauma care, where portable extracorporeal support could help stabilize wounded soldiers during evacuation. The device has not yet received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance, and ART expects to pursue hospital introduction within 18 to 24 months through the 510(k) regulatory pathway.

“We are focused on creating a device that is highly portable and highly blood compatible. The combination of those two things allow us to treat these patients in a much simpler fashion. Our long-term goal is trying to use this device as an alternative to lung transplantation,” said David Skoog, ART’s chief scientific officer and founder.

“If you have chronic cardiac disease or heart failure, you can get an artificial heart or a ventricular assist device. If you have chronic kidney disease and you have kidney failure, you can be put on dialysis. For the lungs, there's been absolutely nothing until now,” said Keith Cook, the David Edward Schramm Professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering.

Related Links
Carnegie Mellon University
Advanced Respiratory Technologies