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Simplicity of assemblyHow many hours / tools needed to assembleNumber of parts, specialized manufacturingSafety / reliabilityHow many problems can this device sense, detect or mitigateDuplicate sensors, pressure sensors, position encodersFeature settingsRate, amplitude, flow profile, ...User interfaceModular design allowing more complex sensing/controlCostCommercial-off-the-shelf componentsMinimal sourcing for components
Dual use: hospital and home settingHome care use if people are not able to be admitted to a hospitalTemporary hospital usage before access to ventilator is availableMaking as few assumptions as possiblePerhaps even EMS usageCan be used from hours to days (this has already been done manually)Patients will be sedated and paralyzedSystem cannot handle if patient tries to breathe inWill only be used with intubated patientsMasked ventilation causes aerosolization of virusNon-ideal rooming situations mean that this needs to be strongly avoidedMarked ventilation is not recommended, even at home → system would need to detect when the patient tries to breathe and support them (pressure support ventilation)Open source design meant for DIY enthusiasts and hospital technicians, not factory productionExhalation is a passive process regulated by the PEEP valve such that pressure is maintained in the lungsThe PEEP valve is not a pressure regulator for inhalation, this will be controlled externallyBlood oxygenation is the key metric → ventilator doesn't need to measure CO2, have a gas mixer, etc. as these figures can be read from blood metricsFirst use case is ICU's where there is sufficient oversight, then designs will be gradually moved to less supervised settings
Problem Definition
Ambu-bags (Fig 1a) are standard CPR devices that are typically used manually to perform resuscitation. We are looking for someone to design a makeshift emergency ventilator that will squeeze this bag automatically at a specified amplitude and rate. This will be used to keep patients alive while they wait for a proper ventilator. The device can use something like an Arduino and a RC servo or stepper, and a simple user interface to set rate and amplitude. The device should be easy to fabricate so that many of these can be made quickly.
Dimensions of Performance
Device Use Case
This is war time medicine. Less is more.
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