Student-Made Emergency Ventilator On its Way to Save Hundreds During Pandemic
By G. M. Saad
Feb 18, 2021 11:30 PM
Ventilator setup demonstration with Prof. Dr. Md. Rofiqul Islam Sheikh, Vice-Chancellor of RUET
-The Daily Jugantor
Students of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) have stepped up in this pandemic to offer an effective solution for Covid-19 patients with an emergency mechanical ventilator.
In a densely populated country like Bangladesh, it is more difficult for Covid patients to get timely adequate medical treatment. A ventilator is one of the primary artificial breathing devices required to help Covid-19 patients continue proper breathing when their lungs fail, but the scarcity of it in local clinics and the cost are the two biggest hindrances. The enthusiast students at RUET approached this issue by using low-cost parts and 3D printed materials to assemble mechanical ventilators that are ready for medical applications. These devices can be manufactured and used within a very short budget and provide sustainable solutions throughout the country.
Image Source: Pixabay https://pixabay.com/images/id-3691902/
Covid-19 patients face severe complications to breathing, as the virus attacks mainly the respiratory system, damaging it and causing serious health issues and suffering. Mechanical ventilators are used to artificially suction carbon dioxide and push oxygen-rich air into the lungs of patients, as they can’t do it themselves.
Team Durbar Kandari is the platform where the students came together to work collectively. It is a non-profit organization founded by these students during the pandemic solely to provide easy technical solutions to ongoing struggles and issues people face and kick-started their journey with this ventilator.
In addition to this, the students are also working on CPAP-BiPAP devices, blowers, electronic wheelchairs, Ambu bags, NIV helmets, and various other useful projects.
Under the supervision of teachers, chief advisor Dr. Md. Masud Rana, and the honorable vice-chancellor, the projects already gained exposure internationally. The design, electrical and mechanical setup are systematic and follow established approaches towards cost-effectiveness.
This particular ventilator offers controllable pressure and air-flow volumes to adjust for patients breathing patterns, by using rack and pinion mechanisms. It also provides smartphone app support for remote controlling options and houses an isolated setup to prevent viral air to spread out, making it very safe to use. Students built this ventilation system based on the MIT Emergency Ventilator project. It additionally features two different modes: Assist Control Mode (AC) for patients who respond to the airflow and breathe out themselves, and Manual Mode for completely reliant respiration.
Safety was a major concern while building this, as forced respiration can sometimes hinder the natural balance and flow. Leakage in viral air can be a very dangerous phenomenon too. To tackle these, multiple alarms are set up to ensure proper safety, like exceeded pressure alarm, under pressure, tube leak, fault alarms, etc. A monitoring system automatically adjusts and stops pressing air if the peak pressure is reached. The isolated system prevents any leakage to breathed air.
For remote applications, the mechanical ventilator is supported by an Android app and a web app. The Android app relies on a Bluetooth connection to control and show pressure-flow graphs. For multiple patients, the web app comes in handy, where doctors can monitor many patients at a time from anywhere in the country. According to the vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Rofiqul Islam Sheikh, the ventilator can be built just under 35,000-taka (412 USD) budget. He, the students, and the chief advisor Dr. Md. Masud Rana is very optimistic about carrying this project towards industrial manufacturing, as it received support and possible alliances from the local industries as a sustainable model to approach with.
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