Doctor Jeon Sang-hoon Succeeded in Localizing ECMO, a CPR Device Essential for Severely Ill Patients with COVID-19
ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) is a device that exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood of a patient in critical condition, such as COVID-19, by using artificial lungs and blood pumps outside the body. It is an advanced medical device that can temporarily replace the function of the lungs and heart simultaneously, and it is used to treat patients with severe heart and lung failure a time of need, but this equipment is reliant on imports.
Q. Park Bo-hyun, CEO of B&H Korea (hereinafter referred to as Park Bo-hyun): Congratulations on the localization of ECMO equipment and completion of clinical application. I'm curious about the reason why high-level equipment was localized by university professors, not companies.
A. Dr. Jeon Sang-hoon of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (hereinafter referred to as Jeon Sang-hoon): ECMO is an essential equipment for intensive care for patients who are unable to survive with ventilators because their hearts and lungs do not function properly. High-level medical devices such as ECMO are difficult for small and medium-sized companies to develop independently due to high technical requirements and entry barriers. With the recent large-scale national effort to stop COVID-19, physicians have been able to form a team with the best doctors to tackle the problem.
I think medical personnel who are most aware of the areas that need to be improved in clinical practice should play a leading role in the development and improvement of medical equipment as well as medical technology. This is also the reason why I was in charge of the development of ECMO equipment. Currently, we rely on imports for ECMO equipment, but we started applying for government support because we believe it is the time where we could develop it with our science and technology and medical standards.
Q. Park Bo-hyun: If the localization of ECMO equipment is successful, how will that change for the medical community and patients?
A. Jeon Sang-hoon: Currently, we import and use about 350 devices in Korea, so we are spending a lot of money for these equipement, not only from the patients’ point of views, but also for the country.
This initiative was carried out from design to production, we were able to achieve great advancements in the original technologies, know-how in production, and program development. Korea has confirmed that we can develop complex value-added medical devices, and we expect this class 4 medical device will be able to export to overseas markets beyond the use domestically.
Three of the major ECMO manufacturers are leading the market worldwide, so we plan to secure a niche market first by bettering at ease of use, compatibility when used in ambulances and emergency helicopters. After all, we plan to increase our market recognition in stability through upgrading, and in particular, we intend to contribute to the treatment of severely ill patients by supplying them at a lower price within Korea.
Q. Park Bo-hyun: We hope that ECMO localization will give more severely ill patients opportunities for better treatment. Since you are a lung expert, I would like to ask you a question about the Coronavirus that is disrupting people’s lives right now. There is no vaccine yet for COVID-19. How do hospitals treat patients with COVID-19? Is there a difference in treatment for each hospital in each country?
A. Jeon Sang-hoon: COVID-19 treatments have not yet been developed, drugs that have shown results, although not significant, are being used first. In addition, since the symptoms and severity varies greatly between patients, treatment is decided according to the degree of sickness. This is the basis of patient treatment, and it can be understood that it is in the same context as treatment for other respiratory diseases such as flu, there is no significant difference in treatment directions around the world.
As the chairman of the Asian Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Association, we hold video conferences with representatives from 10 major Asian countries every Sunday, discussing how to operate severely ill patients such as lung cancer and heart disease in this global crisis, and sharing guidelines with the world's best medical professionals.
Q. Park Bo-hyun: There are stories that COVID-19 damages lungs and are often not recoverable even after recovery, some says it is not true, there are too many confusions.
A. Jeon Sang-hoon: Coronavirus does not cause permanent lung damage. However, if your lungs are damaged enough to use ECMO, lung damage may remain after recovery for other reasons, not coronavirus. If one has not gone to such extreme, the function of the lungs will recover without a problem.
Q. Park Bo-hyun: Since most hospitals prioritize the treatment of COVID-19 patients, ordinary patients often do not visit the hospital due to fear of infection. What would you say to these people?
A. Jeon Sang-hoon: The patients who tested positive are managed in a separate facility with minimum interaction with the general facility, so there is little risk of infection due to hospital visits. In addition, visitors with respiratory symptoms such as fever are also managed through a screening clinic. However, if you have a non-urgent illness or can delay visiting a hospital for treatment, you can wait until the situation stabilizes, to lower the potential risk and reduce the workload of medical staff who are quite busy treating COVID-19 patients.
Looking at the current situation, our people's understanding of the coronavirus situation is quite high. Wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing are well observed, so I believe we can overcome the COVID-19 situation soon. In the case of Daegu, it was difficult because the number of patients exploded in a short period of time due to the Shincheonji rally, but the number of seriously ill patients has not increased much and the number of confirmed cases across the country is within manageable scope. Therefore, our people should trust that the system and our medical staff can handle it well, and do their parts by maintaining personal hygiene and care for their surroundings.
Q. Park Bo-hyun: Doctor has also led the development of many new medical technologies other than ECMO. Please say a few words about your future plans or goals.
A. Jeon Sang-hoon: ECMO was a major part of our research effort, and in the meantime, we have been conducting various researches such as organ harvesting, cardiopulmonary physiology, and light therapy. As a doctor, I will continue to take the lead in research activities in order to contribute to the advancement of medical technology in Korea.