Advanced engineering capabilities developed in the Turkish defense industry have turned into a critical success in the field of health technologies. Türkiye’s first indigenous heart-lung machine, produced with domestic and national capabilities through cooperation between the Ministry of Health and ASELSAN, was successfully used in its first clinical surgery. The device, named ASELSAN LIFELINE HLM, safely took over the patient’s circulation and oxygenation during the operation and contributed to the successful completion of the surgery.

President of the Presidency of Defense Industries Haluk Görgün announced on social media that the operation had been successfully completed. Görgün described the system as an engineering achievement and stated that ASELSAN LIFELINE HLM had taken over the function of a heart for the first time. He emphasized that the ability to produce this critical device in Türkiye, after years of dependence on foreign suppliers, is a valuable gain for technological independence.

Heart-lung machines are among the most critical medical devices used especially in open-heart surgeries. These systems temporarily take over the functions of the heart and lungs during surgery, ensuring that the patient’s blood circulation and oxygenation continue. For this reason, the reliability, precise control capability, uninterrupted performance and clinical compatibility of the device are directly linked to patient safety. ASELSAN’s transfer of its expertise in defense electronics, reliable system design, software, sensors and control technologies to the healthcare sector carries strategic importance.

The use of LIFELINE HLM in its first clinical surgery also marks an important step in reducing Türkiye’s foreign dependence in critical health technologies. ASELSAN, which develops radar, communication, electro-optical, command-control and electronic systems in the defense field, has shown through this achievement that national engineering capabilities can also create high added value in civilian sectors. This success is particularly notable as it applies the quality, reliability and systems engineering approach developed in the defense industry to a field that directly affects human life.

Haluk Görgün stated that it is a special source of pride for national engineering expertise extending from defense to healthcare to directly touch human life. He also noted that the goal is to expand the use of the device in different hospitals. This target shows that the use of Türkiye’s indigenous heart-lung machine will not be limited to a single surgery, but may be integrated into the wider healthcare infrastructure in the coming period.

The introduction of ASELSAN LIFELINE HLM into the healthcare sector is considered a concrete example of the growing interaction between the defense industry and civilian technology fields. Developing critical medical devices with domestic capabilities increases the supply security of the healthcare system while also diversifying Türkiye’s high-technology production capacity. With the successful completion of its first clinical operation, LIFELINE HLM has been recorded as an important milestone in Türkiye’s journey toward developing national solutions in health technologies.