BENGALURU: esearchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) are finalising the prototype of an indigenous electro- mechanical ventilator, required to treat Covid-19 patients, at a time when domestic manufacturers rely on imported components. The prototype will be finalised by mid-April and handed over to manufacturers by the month-end, said TV Prabhakar, principal re - search scientist at IISc’s Department of Electronic Systems Engineering ( D E S E ) a n d founder of the project. Once ready, it will be made available free of cost.
Ventilators are crucial to treating COVID-19 patients who may develop acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS). According to a release from the union ministry of health dated March 30, less than 20 patients are on ventilators. Scientists at IISc see their machine as a ready response should India see a spike in cases. Similar attempts are underway elsewhere in the country too. IISc researchers began to build the ventilator from the scratch 10 days ago according to a release from the institute.
Once finalised, the nanofabrication facility at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (also a part of IISc) will be roped in to scale up production of oxygen and pressure sensors required for the ventilator. The prototype’s design is based on the guidelines issued by the UK government’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Researchers are collaborating with potential manufacturers to ascertain which components are available with them before they finalise the design. The research team built some components and repurposed others, the release said.
For instance, they modified sedimentation tanks used in reverse osmosis water purifiers to store and mix air and oxygen. To check pressure levels, the team used sensors similar to those used to detect air pressure in car tyres. The team is also developing from the scratch a flow rate sensor (which shows exactly how much air is flowing into the patient’s lungs). They are also getting input from doctors to simplify the interface for ventilators, to allow even untrained technicians or nurses to use it in case of an emergency. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has expressed interest in supporting mass production.