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Pandemic Ventilator Project

panvent.blogspot.com

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Re: Pandemic Ventilator Project

#2
Good idea using a large AC blower. I would think a small brand new or very clean wet dry shop, vac using the blower attachment might be even better.

It would be noisy but would allow the design to incorporate negative pressure of the vacuum side to assist with exhaling.

Maybe the shop vac could be plugged into a speed controller to improve duty cycle and reduce noise but controlling an AC motors speed is quite a bit more complicated(expensive) than controlling a DC one.

Re: Pandemic Ventilator Project

#5
post #3

Any thoughts about using a regular sleep apnea CPAP device for this type of situation, where one has access to the pressure settings?

I have heard that these can aerosolize the virus, which is dangerous to other people.

https://hackaday.com/2020/03/12/ultimate-medical-hackathon-h...

Re: Pandemic Ventilator Project

#6
post #3

Any thoughts about using a regular sleep apnea CPAP device for this type of situation, where one has access to the pressure settings?

CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure, one of the problem with SARS(Severe acute respitory syndrom) or Wuhan Fever is it stiffens the lungs making it hard to exhale. This in turn allows the lungs to fill up with fluid, a sort of viral pneumonia.

I believe a ventilator uses a negative pressure or vacuum to assist with exhalation and air exchange.

Re: Pandemic Ventilator Project

#7
post #3

Any thoughts about using a regular sleep apnea CPAP device for this type of situation, where one has access to the pressure settings?

- COVID-19 seems to be mainly hypoxic respiratory failure, not hypercapnic respiratory failure

- NIV (Non invasive ventilation, CPAP is essentially a form of this) doesn't typically perform well (on a patient outcomes, mortality basis) for pneumonia with hypoxia compared with invasive ventilation. However, this is thought to partly be because NIV delays the decision to proceed with intubation and ventilation. If there is no ventilator available, that might change the value of NIV.

- NIV will also likely cause aerosolisation of the virus facilitating spread if there are others in the area. Most sleep apnoea CPAP masks are vented which would probably make this worse (cf unvented masks commonly used on ventilators in an ICU setting)

- Many sleep apnoea CPAP machines don't allow entrainment of supplemental oxygen, which would be likely to be needed in critical COVID-19 infection

Source: I'm an intensive care specialist

Re: Pandemic Ventilator Project

#8
post #3

Any thoughts about using a regular sleep apnea CPAP device for this type of situation, where one has access to the pressure settings?

CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure, one of the problem with SARS(Severe acute respitory syndrom) or Wuhan Fever is it stiffens the lungs making it hard to exhale. This in turn allows the lungs to fill up with fluid, a sort of viral pneumonia. I believe a ventilator uses a negative pressure or vacuum to assist with exhalation and air exchange.

Actually exhalation is passive, not active, in modern day ICU ventilation.

Re: Pandemic Ventilator Project

#9

https://www.projectopenair.org/

> https://www.projectopenair.org/

From https://app.jogl.io/project/121#about

>> Current Status of the project

>> The main bottleneck currently (2020-03-13) is organization / management.

>> […] This is an organization of experts and hobbyists from around the globe.

Re: Pandemic Ventilator Project

#10
I've been looking over the designs being put forward in the various places now, and I cannot understand why people aren't just planning to copy the Manley ventilator.

This was the standard ventilator in Europe for decades. It is simple to design, does not even require electricity (mechanical solution driven by air from central compressed air system) so all parts can be sourced locally, and the design has a clinically proven track record.

Here is a video with schematic showing how it works:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=CrUfblki6Zs

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