CHENNAI: Necessity is the mother of all inventions’ may be a hackneyed expression but not during these lockdown times. As the spread of the virus accelerates, the demand for do-it-yourself masks and ventilators too is reaching a fever pitch. From apps to medical equipment, people from diverse fields are putting on their creative hats to design, invent, innovate and contribute to feasible solutions to fight this deadly pandemic. Making a humble contribution to this soaring need is city-based mechanical engineer R Abilash Chakravarthy, special director for projects of Ace Group of Companies, who has developed a prototype for ICU ventilators that are need of the hour.
Within six days of the lockdown, Abilash along with his brother Abishek Karthik and father S Rajasekaran, designed and produced two units of Ambu bag ventilators based on the bag valve mask model. “A research paper on ‘How Ambu bags can be used as an alternative for ventilators’ (2016) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, inspired us to come up with the model. Ambu bags can be produced in bulk; they are cost-effective but require manual operation and human assistance for continuous pumping of air. During the clinical trial, in the presence of doctors from Dr Mehta Hospitals, we decided to switch over to ICU ventilators that are more effective than these in several aspects,” shares Abilash.
The team swung into action, developed a sketch and made a model of an ICU ventilator within a week, making it available as an effective substitute and eliminating manual activation for ventilation support to patients. “ICU ventilators are compact and can be installed anywhere easily. They have a screen that displays the readings, multiple sensors to monitor parts of the lungs, gives constant update on data and has an independent processing system. However, it’s expensive and costs around `7.5 lakh when imported. The parts required for making it are also sourced from abroad. If we make one in-house then it will cost only a lakh or two,” he explains.
Abilash and his team are working with local hospitals such as Dr Mehta’s Hospitals and Saveetha Medical College Hospital to obtain temporary certification for operation of the ventilator within the hospitals. “If we get the approval then we can start with the production. A minimum of 50 units can be produced in a day. We also need support from the regulatory bodies of the state and central government for the commercial production of the ventilators and calibration as required by the ICM,” says Abilash.
The trio is presently developing the product through immediate, available resources such as 3-D printing technology. Aware of the huge price tag of imported ventilators, their product has been priced at an affordable rate even for smaller hospitals with limited facilities. “Angel investors and entrepreneurs who are willing to work along for making and marketing this product are welcome. Organisations with surplus CSR funds may also donate and distribute the ventilators to Government Hospitals in need,” he says. In these tough times, may Abilash and his tribe increase!
A long road
The team developed a sketch and made a model of an ICU ventilator within a week, making it available as an effective substitute. Abilash and his team are working with local hospitals such as Dr Mehta’s Hospitals and Saveetha Medical College Hospital to obtain temporary certification for operating the ventilator
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