Mechanical Ventilator Using Motorized Bellow

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a critical need for accessible mechanical ventilators.
• India's existing ventilator landscape and the demand-supply gap were assessed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current state of low-cost mechanical ventilator development in India.
• To define essential specifications for ventilators to address the COVID-19 crisis.
• To introduce the CSIR-CMERI developed motorized bellow-based ventilator.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing technologies and specifications for mechanical ventilators.
• Development of a motorized bellow-based ventilator prototype by CSIR-CMERI.

Main Results:

• Identified bare minimum specifications for effective COVID-19 patient ventilation.
• CSIR-CMERI is creating an intelligent, motorized bellow-based ventilator.
• The ventilator offers assisted breathing or volume-controlled ventilation for passive patients.

Conclusions:

• There is a significant focus on developing low-cost mechanical ventilators in India.
• The CSIR-CMERI ventilator aims to meet critical care needs with intelligent features.
• This development addresses the urgent requirement for affordable respiratory support devices.