A Supportive Physiologic Environment for the Extreme Premature Infant: Improving Life Outside the Womb

The EXTEND system is an experimental artificial womb technology designed to support extreme premature infants by replicating the intrauterine environment through sterile fluid immersion, pumpless extracorporeal oxygenation, and umbilical vascular access. Preclinical studies in fetal lambs demonstrate normal growth and organ development for up to 4 weeks, offering potential to reduce mortality and morbidity in this high-risk population.