Design and performance testing of a novel emergency ventilator for in-hospital use

Abstract

Background: The rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased use of critical care resources, particularly mechanical ventilators. Amidst growing concerns that the health care system could face a shortage of ventilators in the future, there is a need for an affordable, simple, easy to use, emergency stockpile ventilator. Methods: Our team of engineers and clinicians designed and tested an emergency ventilator that uses a single limb portable ventilator circuit. The circuit is controlled by a pneumatic signal with electronic microcontroller input, using air and oxygen sources found in standard patient rooms. Ventilator performance was assessed using an IngMar ASL 5000 breathing simulator, and it was compared with a commercially available mechanical ventilator. Results: The emergency ventilator provides volume control mode, intermittent mandatory ventilation and continuous positive airway pressure. It can generate tidal volumes between 300 and 800 mL with <10% error, with pressure, volume, and waveforms substantially equivalent to existing commercial ventilators. Conclusions: We describe a cost effective, safe, and easy to use ventilator that can be rapidly manufactured to address ventilator shortages in a pandemic setting. It meets basic clinical needs and can be provided for emergency use in cases requiring mechanical ventilation because of complications due to respiratory failure from infectious diseases.

Design and efficacy of a novel low-cost ventilator: A feasibility study on artificial lungs

“…Numerous ventilators have been developed, including the Portsmouth, [13] the E-Vent Project of MIT, [14] the VentilAid by Urbicum, [15] the Virgin Orbit Resuscitator, [16] and the Ventilator Intervention Technology accessible locally by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. [17] Some of these have been granted Emergency Use Authorization of Medical Devices by the FDA.…”

Emergency Blower-Based Ventilator with Novel-Designed Ventilation Sensor and Actuator

“…Many researchers are working on non-Ambu-bag-based emergency ventilators and related ventilator sensors [7]. Jacob et al [8] designed a single-limb volumecontrol ventilator by controlling pressurized air and oxygen by using a solenoid valve. The prototype of Jacob et al can generate tidal volumes between 300 and 800 mL with less than 10% error, with pressure, volume, and waveforms substantially equivalent to existing commercial ventilators at a material component cost of under $500 per unit.…”

“…The prototype of Jacob et al can generate tidal volumes between 300 and 800 mL with less than 10% error, with pressure, volume, and waveforms substantially equivalent to existing commercial ventilators at a material component cost of under $500 per unit. Ethan et al [8], a group of people with a background in medical devices, quality assurance, nuclear power, submarine life, and project management, developed a blower-type emergency ventilator with a material cost of less than $300. The prototype of Ethan et al can provide both real-time continuous pressure control and volume control with assist-control ventilation mode operation via pressure-reduction sensing of patient inspiratory effort.…”

Preliminary Design and Development of a Mechanical Ventilator Using Industrial Automation Components for Rapid Deployment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…These can be mass-produced to address current and future equipment shortages, mass casualty scenarios or pandemics. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a plethora of rapidly developed and low-cost mechanical ventilators designed in response to potential shortages [8][9][10], many of them open-source [11]. These open-source designs provide stakeholders (e.g., engineers, health care professionals) with different options of mechanical ventilator designs, materials, and/or processes that best fit with their environment and available resources and provide a template for future researchers and engineers to improve on mechanical designs.…”