16 July 2026

Portable Life Support Research at the AREVA Institute and Innovation Center: Introducing the Miniaturized Multimodal Modular Battery-Operated Extracorporeal Life Support System (MELS)

AREVA researchers have developed and patented in the USA and Internationally (U.S. Patent #11654225B2) a portable life-support technology designed to support critically ill patients in austere environments of combat or out of hospital civilian setting. MELS is a multimodal 5 kg wearable or portable life support/preservation system which enables multifunctional respiratory, renal, cardiovascular and metabolic stabilization and rescue of critically ill.

The research is led by Andriy Batchinsky, MD, founding program director and senior scientist at the Autonomous Reanimation and Evacuation (AREVA) Research Institute and Innovation Center, and focuses on simplifying extracorporeal life support so it can operate in austere medical environments where conventional intensive care infrastructure is not available but is vitally needed; like during the current war in Ukraine.

Advancing Portable Extracorporeal Support

Extracorporeal life support systems are commonly used in hospital intensive care units to assist patients experiencing severe respiratory failure. These technologies typically require complex equipment, specialized staff, and hospital infrastructure, which limits their use to a few centers of excellence in the USA and world-wide where the vast logistical support and expertise is present and actively maintained at high operational cost.

MELS platform was designed to address these challenges. Built from reconfigured FDA-approved components, the system integrates a compact pump, oxygenator, renal support module and power supply into a simplified platform capable of portable operation.

Recent testing evaluated the system’s ability to provide extracorporeal respiratory support during extended operation in preclinical studies. According to the final report, the platform successfully supported lung function, removed carbon dioxide, maintained metabolic normalcy, and enabled reductions in tidal volume and minute ventilation during testing. The latter means that MELS is also a potential solution during pandemics such as COVID-19 where injurious mechanical ventilator settings exacerbate lung injury.

The system was also designed to operate without continuous systemic anticoagulation during support. Instead, investigators explored a local circuit-based strategy that introduced nitric oxide into the oxygenator sweep gas to reduce clot formation within the circuit without physiologic side effects.

Researchers reported no nitric-oxide-related safety concerns during the testing period, and explanted oxygenators showed no significant thrombosis despite avoidance of systemic anticoagulation.

Informing Future System Development

The research also identified areas where future system improvements could further strengthen reliability. Investigators observed that certain connectors and fittings could represent potential locations for clot formation and recommended design refinements to reduce these risks in future versions of the platform.

Beyond device engineering, the research contributes to a broader effort to explore how extracorporeal life-support technologies could support earlier initiation of extracorporeal respiratory support during medical emergencies. Investigators are working with clinical partners in Ukraine where the system has already been used under emergency se authorization and saved several civilians and combat casualties.

Supporting Translational Military Medical Research

As an organization that enables complex military medical research programs to operate successfully, The Geneva Foundation provides the infrastructure and operational support that allows investigators to advance studies like this from concept through testing and evaluation.

Through collaboration with federal research sponsors, investigators, and partner institutions, Geneva advances the development of technologies aimed at improving survivability and strengthening military medical readiness.

Advances in portable extracorporeal life-support systems such as MELS illustrate how translational research can help move emerging medical technologies closer to operational use, with potential implications for both military medicine and civilian emergency care.

Disclaimer: The views expressed do not reflect the official policy of the Army, the Department of War, or the U.S. Government.