Eurosets: Newborn baby saved from acute bronchiolitis in Martinique by Colibri third-generation life-support device

The baby was affected by a viral infection, leaving him unable to breathe. Thanks to a state-of-the-art device, used for the first time in the world in the Caribbean, the medical-surgical team was able to save the infant.

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Colibrì, the lightest life-saving device that replaces the function of the heart and lungs (Photo: Eurosets)

The Colibri (hummingbird), one of the national symbols of Martinique, is also the name of an innovative, next-generation ECMO system, designed and manufactured by Eurosets, an Italian company based in the biomedical district of Medolla (MO), which enabled the medical-surgical team at Martinique University Hospital to save the life of a one-and-a-half-month-old child suffering from acute bronchiolitis.
The baby was born in Guadeloupe and weighed just 5kg. He was unable to breathe independently due to the viral infection, which subsequently led to heart failure. The infant was immediately transferred to the CHU de Martinique (CHUM), the only French hospital in the Caribbean with a third-level pediatric intensive care unit but, due the child's unstable condition, it was impossible to move him.
Following first-rate coordination with the neonatal intensive care unit at Guadeloupe University Hospital, the Martinique team from the UMAC (Unité Mobile d'Assistance Circulatoire) was able to travel to the neighboring island and connect the new ECMO system in the jugulo-carotid position to the newborn, allowing the infant to be transferred safely by helicopter.
The procedure was a success thanks to the seamless cooperation between Dr Xavier Beretta-Piccoli, pediatric intensive care specialist, and Dr Fabio Cuttone, head of pediatric cardiac surgery at the CHUM.
This intervention marked the world's first installation of a third-generation transportable device entirely designed and adapted for infants and children. The UMAC 972, consisting of a medical (intensive care specialist, cardiac surgeon) and paramedical (perfusionist) team, a pioneer in mobile circulatory assistance in the Caribbean archipelago and unique in terms of know-how and experience, played a vital role in the success of this medical treatment.
The infant was admitted to the CHUM pediatric intensive care unit. He received care and was attached to Colibri for five days until his lungs and heart functioned normally. Subsequently, having fully recovered from his bronchiolitis, the child was discharged from hospital and returned to Guadeloupe after 15 days in hospital. He will have to be monitored periodically, like all babies who have been in intensive care. He is now out of danger.

This ground-breaking treatment, the result of cooperation between the Martinique University Hospital, Eurosets, the CTM (Collectivité Territoriale de la Martinique) and European funding from React-UE (Recovery assistance for cohesion and the territories of Europe), finally provides the children of the Caribbean archipelago with a life-saving strategy at the forefront of technology.
Colibri is the world's lightest life-saving device capable of temporarily replacing cardiac and pulmonary functions. It is the only third-generation transportable system entirely designed and adapted to newborns and children.
In addition to adult patients, the device can be used on pediatric or even neonatal patients thanks to a dedicated centrifugal pump. The technology is suitable for use in a variety of therapeutic applications, including extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) in cardiac arrest, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and mechanical circulatory support (MCS).

Equipped with a centrifugal pump with magnetic levitation and a device capable of artificially oxygenating the blood, as well as offering excellent ergonomics, the Colibri is a high-performance circulatory assistance system, ideal in all situations in which intra- and extra-hospital transportability are crucial, including the most extreme rescue operations, such as airborne medical evacuations (by helicopter, passenger airline or military aircraft), scenarios that are common in the Caribbean region.

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