Türkiye develops fully domestic heart-lung machine

ANKARA

Türkiye has successfully developed its first domestically-produced heart-lung machine, an essential device in open-heart surgeries, in partnership with defense electronics giant ASELSAN, authorities have announced.

Speaking at a press briefing held at the Health Ministry, Türkiye Health Institutes (TÜSEB) head Ümit Kervan recalled, “In 2020, we formed a consensus with ASELSAN to develop the heart-lung machine. Their engineers visited our operating rooms, examined each open-heart surgery suite and began designing the product.” 

Following its development, the device underwent pre-clinical lab testing at Bilkent City Hospital, where blood tests yielded successful results.

“When compared with the existing devices, our machşne outperformed them,” Kervan said. ASELSAN’s innovative design earned three awards, prior to animal testing. Even in a power outage or battery failure, it can be operated manually to keep the patient alive.

Around 80,000 open-heart surgeries are performed annually in Türkiye. Without the machine, 95 percent of these surgeries couldn’t happen, Kervan emphasized.

Targeting clinical use by 2026, Kervan added that the machine represents a $3 billion market.