As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause havoc around the world, medical centers require adequate essential supplies like masks, gloves, and disinfectants. One of the major requirements is for ventilators, which are required to keep patients fighting the deadly disease.
At Trunexa, we always think about how engineering solutions can fill the gaps with maximum efficacy at the lowest cost. In these difficult times, we would like to contribute to society, so as a design house, Trunexa has come up with a budget Ventilator design, that is open-source and available for anyone in need.
This ventilator design is based on a Bag Valve Mask (BVM), also recognized as a hand-operated manual resuscitator. Our design would free up the person that would normally be needed to operate a BVM. The device could act as a stopgap in hospitals or reception where a ventilator is required, but not currently available. This design is not a replacement for a fully working ventilator that has all the required features, but an alternate low-cost solution to support the current situation.
The existing model utilizes a dual rack-and-pinion mechanical design converting the rotational motion of motors into translational motion for bag compression. The device is operated with a 120V AC supply with less than 15W power dissipation.
This design is a manageable, automated add-on solution to the existing and widely available Bag Valve Mask. The device pads the BVM with a mechanical system that can provide consistent and precise ventilation with positive pressure. This setup comes under the top range of high-acuity limited-operability (HALO) ventilator solutions that is priori designed to produce volume and pressure-cycled ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and enriched oxygen sources. This design is with an automated bag valve mask (BVM) device applying off-the-shelf components to offer safe and uninterrupted hospital-grade mechanical ventilation for COVID-19 patients. The device adapts wall or tank-based oxygen through the low-pressure oxygen intake port that is standard to the BVM.
We are keeping our design and setup open source for everyone to use.
Design Specifications
Specification
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Value
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The total cost of the device
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<$250
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Size (with adult BVM bag)
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1 - 1.5 L
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Weight
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< 1 KG
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Power usage
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<15W
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Components and Assembly
Most of the components utilized in our design are planned for use as-is and simply ordered through online retailers or hardware stores. Other elements such as casing and gears may be 3D printed or laser cut.
Our design files include a Bill of Materials (BOM) for each of the components and stp files for further usage. Download the assembly from here.
Concept Designer
M. Hassani
Amin Sarvestani