Artificial placentas and wombs could save the lives of premature babies, but what ethical considerations must be addressed before human trials begin?
It sounds like a plot straight out of a bad science fiction movie – human babies taken from their mothers' wombs and grown inside fluid-filled pods instead. Yet that is exactly what scientists at the to be precise. Extend is not intended to grow a foetus from conception to birth – that would be impossible even if it was desirable. Instead, it is intended to help boost the survival rate of extremely premature infants, who face a plethora of possible health effects throughout their lives.
Meanwhile long-term issues that can affect extremely premature babies include cerebral palsy, moderate to severe learning difficulties, vision and hearing problems, and asthma."At that early gestational age the lungs are still developing and should be filled with fluid," says George Mychaliska, a professor of surgery and obstetrics and gynaecology at
There are three main groups working on the technology. All three take their inspiration from an existing therapy called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation , a type of artificial life support that can help a person whose lungs and heart aren't functioning properly. In Ecmo, blood is pumped outside of the patient's body to a machine that removes carbon dioxide and adds oxygen. The oxygenated blood is then sent back to tissues in the body.
Premature lambs maintained on the machine survived for 16 days before being safely transferred to mechanical ventilation We think that it's pretty clear that a very small foetus doesn't have the ability to direct its own growth in a normal fashion "We think that it's pretty clear that a very small foetus doesn't have the ability to direct its own growth in a normal fashion, and that's exacerbated when it is sick," says Kemp.The most recent data shows that even 30% of 22-week-gestation patients survive if given intensive care
There are more risks associated with this procedure compared to a vaginal birth, which raises issues to do with informed consent. Another issue with immediately transferring a baby onto the Extend system is that there is no opportunity to assess how that baby would have done on conventional therapy.
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