About Us

EINZ is a non-profit initiative working to improve equitable access to advanced treatments in the realm of ICU, Prehospital Medicine and Heart – Lung Transplant, such as ECMO and other forms of mechanical circulatory support.

We grew out of a practical project in New Zealand in 2020 that aimed to solve a very specific problem: how to expand safe access to ECMO across a geographically dispersed healthcare system.

Rather than focusing only on technology, EINZ expands this view by including works on the systems required to make these treatments to work in practice and autonomous: education, governance structures, innovation and research, multidisciplinary teams and regional collaboration.

What began as a national project has since evolved into an international program, connecting clinicians, health systems, researchers and policymakers interested in responsible implementation of advanced life-support technologies and supporting hospitals, professional societies and health care systems globally.

EINZ operates as a philanthropic and independent initiative and is not affiliated with any single hospital, company, or national healthcare system.

Our Name

EINZ originates from "ECMO in New Zealand."

The initiative began as a national collaboration to improve ECMO access across Aotearoa. During the later transformation into a global project, "ECMO in New Zealand" was shortened to EINZ to remain connected to these origins.

Our Story

EINZ began with a conversation between two intensivists about how to expand ECMO access and improve equity in New Zealand.

That conversation led to a series of education initiatives and eventually the creation of the New Zealand Regional ECMO Network, transforming EINZ into a global initiative.

What We Do

EINZ focuses on the practical challenges involved in advanced life-support technologies.

Our work typically involves education, governance development, international collaboration and innovation in training and procedural support, but also research and innovation in projects that follow this spirit.

Research (and Curiosity)

Members of EINZ contribute to research on ECMO education, innovation and mechanical circulatory support.

Occasionally curiosity leads to slightly unusual projects.

EINZ participants have published peer-reviewed research on ECMO education and clinical innovation.

Virtual Reality ECMO Training

EINZ is using VR-based training environments that allow clinicians to learn ECMO concepts and procedural workflows in immersive simulations and can be used with remote supervision.

These modules aim to complement traditional simulation by allowing trainees to rehearse procedures repeatedly in a realistic environment without requiring full simulation lab infrastructure and with instructors being able to support several trainees globally.

VR may hence allow training to reach centers that currently have limited access to simulation facilities.

Custom ECMO Simulation Systems

Traditional ECMO simulators are often expensive and difficult to transport.

EINZ has therefore been involved in designing portable ECMO simulation systems that allow realistic cannulation and troubleshooting scenarios to be taught during courses and workshops. These systems are designed specifically for teaching environments where flexibility and accessibility are important.

Augmented Reality in Clinical Practice

We are exploring how augmented and mixed reality technologies might support ECMO procedures and clinical teaching.

Our published research demonstrates feasibility that can lead to:

improved hand-eye coordination during cannulation
overlay of procedural guidance
improved situational awareness during complex interventions
remote supervision by experienced clinicians using AR-enabled devices.

These technologies may eventually allow experienced specialists to support teams in other locations in real time.

Digital Cannulation Guidance and Documentation

In collaboration with ECMO-PAL, EINZ is developing a digital cannulation support tool designed to assist clinicians during ECMO initiation.

The application aims to:

guide procedural steps
provide real-time feedback during cannulation
automatically generate procedural documentation
standardize data collection for quality improvement and research.

The system is currently being tested during simulation-based training sessions.

Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support Innovation

Members of EINZ are also involved in projects exploring new technologies in heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support, including concepts that may influence future approaches to organ preservation and transplantation.

These collaborations connect clinicians, engineers and researchers interested in advancing the field.

The VinOx Study

Not all research needs to be entirely serious.

The VinOx Study investigates whether hollow-fiber ECMO oxygenator membranes could serve as an unusually efficient method of wine aeration while avoiding potential lead contamination from traditional crystal decanters.

The hypothesis is simple: oxygenator membranes are designed to exchange gases extremely efficiently. Passing wine through such a system may therefore achieve rapid aeration while avoiding contact with lead crystal.

The project is somewhat playful, but it reflects an important aspect of scientific work — curiosity.