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There's a renewed push underway to help Minnesotans survive cardiac arrest. 

 from the Helmsley Charitable Trust will nearly double the number of cardiac intensive care beds at 

 in the Twin Cities and fund a training center dedicated to 

, or ECMO, a technology that takes blood from a patient’s body, oxygenates it and then returns it through an artery.

It allows physicians to perfuse critical organs even when a patient’s heart or lungs aren’t working, giving them more time while doctors try to save their life, 

University of Minnesota Medical School Dr. Demetris Yannopoulos

After 30 minutes, the chances for survival from CPR alone dip into the single digits, according to Yannopoulous, a leader in the research into extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. With ECMO treatment, he said patients have a significantly higher chance of living. 

The technology can also travel. “We have also built a big ECMO truck … basically, a cath lab or emergency department on wheels (that) allows us to basically move very quickly and get to the patients much faster,” Yannopoulous said, noting the opportunity to help patients in rural Minnesota.

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The grant will expand cardiac intensive care at M Health Fairview and fund training around a technology shown to increase survival rates for cardiac arrest patients, a University of Minnesota doctor told MPR News.

Life-saving ECMO technology for cardiac arrest patients becomes more accessible across Minnesota 

An EMS vehicle has its lights on during the daytime.

$10M grant to boost cardiac arrest care in Minnesota

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