Respiratory care ventilator for pandemic emergencies, such as the COVID-19 Coronavirus. The concept is low cost and mass-producible from off-the-shelf components that are readily available at national levels. The Ennomotive Open Innovation Hub for Engineering has developed the concept into a clinically effective lung Protective Volume Control SIMV ventilator. Ennomotive can provide interested producers with the final documentation and conformity assessments to medical device standards, or they can have the ventilator produced. The final OxyVita ventilator won the prestigious prize for best initiative in Health Technology 2020, awarded by the Spanish minister of health.
The individual device has a component cost of just £400 (GBP), or Euro460 or US$500. It can be produced for less than Euro1,000. Manufacturing is low cost, without the use of any specialist skills or process equipment. The consumable patient circuit part is readily available from most medical plastics manufactures around the world. The preferred patient circuit is single-use and has a cost of about £12 (GBP), at trade prices.
The design is intended for the makeshift intensive care unit, which invariably will be lacking in infrastructure, supplies (e.g. restricted oxygen use) and clinical skills. The device lends itself for use in a simplified, skills-divided, efficient clinical procedure. The design specifically uses Pressure Controlled SIMV mode of ventilation only, to offer a realistic match for the conditions in the makeshift ward and the national manufacturing capability. The arrangement has minimal oxygen waste.
The ventilator uses a disposable exhalation valve and does not particularly require any decontamination between patients.
The device, once fully developed, will comply with international standards for basic safety and essential performance of medical ventilators.