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Britain's Low-Cost Ventilator Aims to Boost COVID-19 Fight in Developing
Economies

Henry Ridgwell

   LONDON - Ahospitalteamin Britainhas come up with whatit saysis a low
   cost, high performance ventilator to aid patients withthecoronavirus,
   adding thatthe systemcould be quickly rolled outindeveloping countries
   with poor health systems. The global demand for medical ventilators has
   soared as COVID-19 spreadsaroundthe world.

   Doctors and engineers at Imperial College Londonwent back to basics and
   came up withJamVent, a ventilator that can be built cheaply anywhere in
   the world, says project leadDr.Joseph Sherwood.

   "By knowing the way that a gas behaves under pressure and how the flow
   of a gas occurs through a valve, you can actually choose the components
   of a system such that you can control the pressures and flows exactly
   as you need to without the need for these complex components," Sherwood
   told VOA in a recent interview.

   Those complex parts can cost tens of thousands of dollars.JamVentuses
   readily available"off-the-shelf"components, explains
   co-designerDr.JakobMathiszig-Lee, who works on the frontline treating
   COVID-19 patients at London's Royal Brompton Hospital."We're not
   competing with existing ventilator designs or parts. Andalsobecause
   it's so simple,actually it'svery scalable to build and very easy for
   someone to source these parts anywhere in the world,really."

   That includes developing countries with poor health systems. Some
   African countries have only a handful of ventilators to treat millions
   of people.

   The designers plan to test assemblyline prototypes in Mayandseek
   approval for clinical use in Britain and the United States. Unlike
   other recent designs, theJamVentis designed to meet the full demands of
   intensive care, with the"Pressure Regulated Volume Controlled"mode
   preferred by most doctors, the ability to maintain pressure during
   suction, and a mode to help wean patients off mechanical ventilation,
   known asthe"spontaneous breathing mode."

   "This is not a 'bridge' ventilator," saidMathiszig-Lee, referring to
   theless complex designs thathave more limited capabilities
   andtypicallyarenot designed for intensive care."This is a ventilator
   that doesall of the functions that you need in the ICU to cope with
   COVID-19 patients and their demanding requirements. The design is
   actually freely available, and we would work with different
   manufacturers to go through their own regulatory procedures."

   The full design is freely available on the[1]JamVent websiteand anyone
   interested in working with the [2]Imperial College team is encouraged
   to get in touch.

   DoctorMathiszig-Lee says its potential goes beyond the COVID-19
   pandemic.

   "There's no reason that this can't be used to supplementICU [intensive
   care unit]capability around the world going forward for any kind of
   respiratory condition."

References

   1. https://www.imperial-consultants.co.uk/areasofexpertise/emergency-ventilator/
   2. https://www.imperial-consultants.co.uk/areasofexpertise/emergency-ventilator/

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