I-Corps: Ultra-Low-Cost Mechanical Ventilator for COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Applications

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种超低成本的重症监护病房(ICU)呼吸机，为世界各地服务不足的地区提供危重护理。新冠肺炎给全球医疗供应带来压力，并暴露出呼吸机库存和制造供应链不足。这项拟议的技术旨在满足从县卫生和人类服务到发展中国家当地医院等多个市场对医院日益增长的需求。此外，拟议的技术可以在发展中世界的当地地区进行制造和维修。因此，对服务不足的地区可能有两个好处：增加获得医疗保健的机会和增加当地医疗器械的产量。这个i-Corps项目是基于超低成本重症监护病房(ICU)呼吸机的开发。这一发展是通过将三种机械通风方法相结合而实现的：机械驱动呼吸回路、机械控制呼气末正压(PEEP)阀以及预测性患者反馈算法，该算法仅使用五个压力传感器向医生提供实时患者信息。这三项技术旨在降低成本，同时仍能为ICU或外科环境提供高度的救生护理。最初的原型已经由医生和呼吸治疗师进行了测试，并为用户界面提供了输入，以降低与用户培训相关的复杂性。此外，这一拟议的设备已经开发了部件，这些部件可以从当地获得以实现长期可持续发展。这一奖励反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of an ultra-low-cost intensive care unit (ICU) ventilator to provide critical care to underserved areas around the world. COVID-19 put a strain on the world’s medical supply and exposed the inadequate ventilator stockpile and manufacturing supply chain. The proposed technology is designed to meet the growing demands of hospitals in several markets, ranging from county health and human services to local hospitals in developing nations. In addition, the proposed technology may enable manufacturing and repair within local regions of the developing world. As a result, there may be two benefits to underserved areas: an increase in accessibility to medical care and an increase in local medical device production. This I-Corps project is based on the development of an ultra-low-cost intensive care unit (ICU) ventilator. This development has been made possible by combining three mechanical ventilation approaches: a mechanically driven breathing circuit, a mechanically controlled positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) valve, and a predictive patient feedback algorithm that provides doctors with real-time patient information utilizing only five pressure sensors. These three technologies are designed to create a cost reduction while still enabling a high degree of life-saving care for the ICU or surgical setting. Initial prototypes have been tested by physicians and respiratory therapists and have provided input for the user interface to reduce the complexity associated with user training. In addition, this proposed device has been developed with components that may be sourced locally for long-term sustainability.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.