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COVID 19: Manufacture of ventilators and other medical equipment

Former Community Member
Former Community Member
Here in the UK, there has been an overwhelming response to the Government’s request for ventilators with over 3,000 organisations and individuals responding to the call.


This concerted effort to mobilise the required number of ventilators, including but not limited to, ramping up production at existing ventilator manufacturers, sourcing alternative models and developing new, easy to manufacture models is rapidly gathering pace with the very latest position reported in today’s FT.


Currently, the NHS has access to 8,000 ventilators but it’s anticipated that some 30,000 units will be required in the coming weeks.


This then has been our national experience, but how are other nation states coping?

How are different countries addressing the supply of ventilators and other essential medical equipment? What's been the international experience? 


May this global crisis inspire us all to reach out and discover how our shared experience and understanding can benefit all our communities.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and any experiences you may have on this?
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    It would be interesting to design and make a ventilator similar to the simple Nuffield or Smiths. This could be augmented by an add on laptop running suitable software. However insurance and the avoidance of litigation is a huge problem. No wonder not many companies have taken up the challenge.
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Rasik Thanky:

    Simplistic CPAP / BiPAP / APAP ventilators being proposed by enthusiastic engineers are useless for anything but Ambulanant use for those lightly affected.

    Many such devices costing less than $500 are in regular use in USA and Europe by patients for sleep related apnoea.


    Mechanical ventilators that Force Oxygen rich air into collapsed lungs ARE WHAT THE NHS needs.to augment the poor stock of 8000 medical grade Ventilators. NOT biPAP/ PAP simple copies.

    Such designs have to provide for pressure regulations and monitoring that these simplistic devices just cannot provide.


    Please bring this to the attention of those who go down the wrong alley.


    Elon Musk DONATEd 1000 such ineffectual ventilators that do not solve the problem


    IET Engineers and Fellows should consult PROFESSIONAL VENTILATOR DESIGN / USE AND REPAIR Manuals to discover a good reproducible design that can be copied by professional engineering parts  manufacturers.

    Members could provide precision Assembly & Test / Commissioning.

    Re furbishment should only be attempted by qualified companies able to respond to sanitisation / Isolation requirements.


     


    Many thanks Rasik, you're absolutely correct to point this out - please be assured that we have been referring volunteers to the government's published specifications.


    Best wishes,


    Kate-Zillah Sharpe

    Devolved Nations Lead, IET


  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Barry Brooks:

    Alan

    For information (and possible call for help), amongst the myriad of designs and ideas on the web is the Field Ventilator Project (www.fieldventilator.com) which has spun out of a DFID call for low-cost rapid manufacture ventilators for developing countries.  This is being developed into a prototype system for testing at NPL later this week by several IET Fellows who are Liverymen of the Worshipful Company of Engineers with help and clinical advice from UCL, Staffs University, and other engineering companies and regulatory lawyers.


    The aim is to be low cost and manufacturable in countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Peru and India, useable in places where oxgen and electrical supplies may be sparse, and useable for other situations where ventilators can help patients, eg in childbirth.  


    Offers for help please via the www.fieldventilator.com website

    Barry


    Hi Barry - do you still need volunteers for this project? I've had a few offers come through recently that I can direct to you?


    Many thanks,

    Kate-Zillah

    Devolved Nations Lead, IET


  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Tatenda:

    Hi LeeT


    Can I contact you regarding ventilator spares? My email ttzvingoww@gmail.com


    Hi Tatenda, 


    Did you manage to contact someone regarding this?


    Kate-Zillah Sharpe

    Devolved Nations Lead, IET


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