Apr 1, 2020
Respiratory Assistant Apparatus for COVID-19 patients
Breath of Hope, a volunteer group supported by Kerala Startup Mission and Super Fab Lab at Kochi have developed a Respiratory Apparatus which could potentially free up ventilators for critical COVID patients and help save lives.
As the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients are on the rise, India like many other countries will be facing serious shortage of respiratory devices. Absence of local electronics components industry has accentuated the problem, as efforts of meeting the surge of demand for ventilators was halted as the industry relied on import of components especially from China. This was abruptly stopped after the spread of the Novel Corona Virus around the world and the sudden countrywide lockdown in India.
Breath of Hope, a volunteer group trying to solve the potential shortage of emergency medical supplies in India supported by Kerala Startup Mission and the Super Fab Lab at Kochi, has developed a respiratory assistant apparatus. The team included social workers, doctors and engineers from different fields of expertise. Currently, the team is converting the design into a manufacturable version that can be taken to production by industries. The team has developed the design considering the constraints posed by the lockdown, they have ensured that easily available components and materials are used, the design can be easily prototyped in any Fab Lab across the world and one that can be easily manufactured at scale.
The concept of the respiratory apparatus comes from the Bag Valve Mask or (BVM), sometimes known by the proprietary name Ambu bag or generically as a manual resuscitator or “self-inflating bag”, is a hand-held device commonly used to provide positive pressure ventilation to patients who are not breathing or not breathing adequately. The respiratory apparatus designed tries to automate the Ambu bag using electronic and software and be a ‘stand alone device’. Ambu Bags or BVMs come with PEEP valve connectors, for maintaining the positive airway pressure maintenance and a pressure relief valve (often known as a “pop-up valve”), the purpose of which is to prevent accidental over-pressurization of the lungs. These safety features make use of Ambu Bags ideal for the current scenario faced by the country today.
Please find the design files and documentation in the gitlab Page.
