AmbuBox: A Fast-Deployable Low-Cost Ventilator for COVID-19 Emergent Care

Abstract

We present a low-cost clinically viable ventilator design, AmbuBox, using a controllable pneumatic enclosure and standard manual resuscitators that are readily available (AmbuBag), which can be rapidly deployed during pandemic and mass-casualty events with a minimal set of components to manufacture and assemble. The AmbuBox is designed to address the existing challenges presented in the existing low-cost ventilator designs by offering an easy-to-install and simple-to-operate apparatus while maintaining a long lifespan with high-precision flow control. As an outcome, a mass-producible prototype of the AmbuBox has been devised, characterized, and validated in a bench test setup using a lung simulator. This prototype will be further investigated through clinical testing. Given the potentially urgent need for inexpensive and rapidly deployable ventilators globally, the overall design, operational principle, and device characterization of the AmbuBox system have been described in detail with open access online. Moreover, the fabrication and assembly methods have been incorporated to enable short-term producibility by a generic local manufacturing facility. In addition, a full list of all components used in the AmbuBox has been included to reflect its low-cost nature.

Collaborative and Structured Network for Maintenance of Mechanical Ventilators during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

“…The shortage of ventilators was observed in healthcare facilities in different parts of the world, including developed and developing countries such as the United States, Italy, Brazil, and countries on the African continent [ 23 , 54 , 55 ]. Within this context, different initiatives were adopted to mitigate the impact of the low availability of these devices in health systems, including granting emergency use authorization for new ventilators [ 38 , 56 ], establishing collaborative networks between countries for local production of the equipment [ 57 , 58 , 59 ], and scaling up the production of new low-cost and effective ventilators to keep up with the high demand [ 60 , 61 , 62 ]. To this end, some recognized ventilator manufacturers reallocated human, financial, and material resources to increase production of the devices, in addition to allowing free access to the ventilator designs so that other engineering companies could produce and market them [ 63 , 64 ].…”

295: Automated Bag Breathing Unit for COVID-19 Ventilator Shortages

“…This is an important feature of ventilation in patients with acute respiratory failure or when weaning patients from ventilation (23). Despite a growing number of approved FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) resuscitators, few have published speci cations or pre-clinical testing results and none have reported clinical trials in patients (24)(25)(26)(27)(28). Here we report ABBU is capable of providing physiological gas exchange in a short-term (6-8 hours) adult-size porcine model of normal and saline lavage lung injury.…”

Mechanical Ventilator VENT19

“… 2020 ; Fang et al. 2020 ). Some proposed emergency ventilator only requires compressed oxygen (King et al.…”