Ventilators are still in short supply in many places compared to anticipated demand at the top of the curve. However, engineers at Mercedes Formula 1 teamed with University College London and the NHS Foundation to address this. They came up with a new breathing device that feeds oxygen to the lungs without requiring a conventional ventilator.
Forty of their continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices are already on test at London hospitals according to The Verge. Moreover, the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) already approved their use.
New Ventilator Design CPAP Compared to Standard Ventilators
Continuous air pressure machines force air down the airway to keep it open so the patient can breathe. The pressure automatically adjusts to the required level. While intermediary bi-level positive airway pressure devices (BiPAP) on the other hand have two pressures, one for breathing in and one for breathing out.
Finally ventilators are for patients who cannot breathe on their own, or suffer from acute respiratory disease. The general idea is to reserve this expensive equipment for serious Covid-19 virus cases, and use the more basic CPAPs for milder ones. The new breathing device from Mercedes Formula 1 falls in this latter category.
FDA Approves CPAP Emergency Ventilation Devices
The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of CPAP devices on March 26, 2020 as reported by FierceBiotech. Both Ford and General Motors have sprung into action.
Ford is promising 1,500 ventilators in April and 12,000 by the end of May. Adrian Price is director of Ford’s global manufacturing core engineering division. He says the new breathing device is “absolutely robust in terms of its capability.”
We are thrilled to see these exciting new developments increasing the supply of essential breath-assisting devices. Our thoughts are with doctors and nurses everywhere, preparing for the surge in infections that seems inevitable.
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Preview Image: Continuous Use Air Pressure Machine
