Tohoku University researchers announced Tuesday that they have developed and patented a system capable of resuming blood circulation in an injured heart within three minutes.
Inspired by the July 2022 fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the system is designed for scenarios such as terrorist attacks at election campaign venues and other public emergencies.
"If we can get the bleeding under control and perform an emergency thoracotomy (surgery to gain access to the pleural space of the chest), there is a chance we can save the patient’s life," the research team said in its announcement.