Interview with Dr Deepak Agrawal, Co-Inventor of ‘AgVa’ world’s cheapest and smallest ventilator
Dr Agrawal is Professor of Neurosurgery at AIIMS, New Delhi. He completed his Neurosurgical residency training from AIIMS, following which he did year-long fellowship training in Endoscopic and Paediatric Neurosurgery under Prof Steinbok in Vancouver, Canada. Dr Agrawal has received training in Gamma-Knife surgery and is a part of the gamma-knife team at AIIMS.
Dr Agrawal has a keen interest in research and has been instrumental in securing the ‘DST-FIST’ grant for the department of neurosurgery at AIIMS.
Dr Agrawal in collaboration with a young robotics engineer and inventor Prof. Diwakar Vaish has invented ‘AgVa’. The portable ventilator device will help score of patients and caregivers who need ventilation support but are unable to afford the existing devices.
http://www.drdeepakagrawal.com
Q: What was the motivation to pursue surgery especially in Neurology?
A: Neurosurgery is one of the most challenging branches in medicine and I was naturally drawn towards it. Having a neurosurgeon as a father was also a big motivator and till date I look up to him as a role model, both personally and professionally.
Q: How serious is the issue of lack of adequate and affordable ventilator support in India?
A: The issue is extremely serious. There is a lack of ventilators at all levels of healthcare with even major hospitals not being able to cope with the demand most of the time. In Delhi itself, we routinely get trauma victims from other hospitals and clinics without ventilator support because they simply don’t have them.
Q: How did your journey from a doctor to innovator start?
A: Throughout my journey as a surgeon and then as a neurosurgeon I was exposed to socio-economic issues faced by majority of the patients and their families while receiving treatment, even in government hospitals. I realized that instead of following the western systems and continuously escalating healthcare costs, we need to innovate and create our own systems for our people.
Q: Can you please tell us about AgVA, the world’s cheapest and smallest ventilator
A: AgVa is a fully functional, ultra-compact ventilator which has many advanced and innovative functions such as:
1. Synchronized with patient’s breathing (SIMV)
2. Capable of running on room air (21% Fio2) as well as with regular oxygen supply
3. Android phone based control of all functions and settings
4. Integrated with pulse oximeter to give real time feedback and optimize settings
5. Can be operated by the patient’s relatives/caregivers at home, after minimal training
Q: How was your experience collaborating with a young engineer?
A: We had invited Mr Diwakar as a guest speaker in one our conferences and he came across a passionate engineer and innovator and we immediately gelled. I shared some ideas with him and rest is history.
Q: What were the challenges you faced while developing AgVA, the portable ventilator?
A: Right from the beginning I was clear that the ventilator should be affordable and portable. We also wanted it to be very simple to use, but at the same time have all the features of advanced ventilators currently being used in ICUs. Getting this all together was a major challenge.
What type of trials are you currently conducting to test the device?
A: We are in the process of starting clinical trials and obtaining regulatory clearances. Simultaneously, we continue to work on AgVa to make it better.
Q: How are you working with various healthcare stakeholders (HCPs, NGOs, Govt. Bodies etc.), for user feedback on product development and design?
A: Actual user (patient) feedback has been extremely positive. We will be taking feedback from other stakeholders once we complete clinical trials on AgVa.
Q: Any thoughts on improving the collaboration between medical device start-ups and the healthcare ecosystem?
A: With the primary objective of getting the ventilator as quickly in the market as possible, we are open to collaborations and are exploring all possibilities at this time.
Q:What is your advice for budding doctors and engineers looking to collaborate and develop affordable healthcare solutions?
A: One should not work in isolation and always team up with people from other domains to get a better grasp of the issue at hand. New ideas almost always come from outside your own field.
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