Overcoming supply disruptions during pandemics by utilizing found hardware for open source gentle ventilation

S Oberloier; N Gallup; J M Pearce

doi:10.1016/j.ohx.2021.e00255

Overcoming supply disruptions during pandemics by utilizing found hardware for open source gentle ventilation

HardwareX. 2021 Dec 23:11:e00255. doi: 10.1016/j.ohx.2021.e00255. eCollection 2022 Apr.

Authors

S Oberloier¹, N Gallup², J M Pearce³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA.
³ Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada.

Abstract

This article details the design of an open source emergency gentle ventilator (gentle-vent) framework that can be used in periods of scarcity. Although it is not a medical device, the system utilizes a wide range of commonly-available components that are combined using basic electronics skills to achieve the desired performance. The main function of the gentle-vent is to generate a calibrated pressure wave at the pump to provide support to the patient's breathing. Each gentle-vent permutation was tested using a DIY manometer as it would be utilized in the field in low-resource settings and validated with an open source VentMon. The most rudimentary implementation costs less than $40.

Keywords: Appropriate technology; COVID-19; Improvisation; Medical equipment; Open hardware; Open source; Repurposed hardware; Ventilation.