Abstract
This article shows the design of a device to automatize an Ambu Spur II manual respirator. The aim of this compassionate medicine device is to provide an emergency alternative to conventional electric respirators—which are in much shortage—during the present COVID-19 pandemic. To develop the device, the classical method of product design based on concurrent engineering has been employed. First, the specifications of the machine have been determined, including the function determining the air volume provided at every moment of the breathing cycle; second, an adequate compression mechanism has been designed; third, the control circuit of the motor has been determined, which can be operated via a touchscreen and which includes sensor feedback; fourth, the device has been materialized with readily available materials and market components, mostly of low cost; and fifth, the machine has been successfully tested, complying with sanitary regulations and operating within desirable ranges. The device has been already manufactured to supply respirators to several hospitals around the Catalan Autonomous Community in Spain, but can also be replicated in developing countries such as Ecuador.
Highlights
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The present medical crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a spike in respiratory failure cases that need mechanical respirators, which has triggered a shortage of such devices worldwide [1,2,3]
13a shows the temporal evolution of the motor angle during a breathing cycle, while Fig
Summary
Mechanical ventilation is the short-term, vital support technique most widely used worldwide It is employed every day with patients with respiratory failure, as well as with heavily sedated patients in standard surgical procedures. The present medical crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a spike in respiratory failure cases that need mechanical respirators, which has triggered a shortage of such devices worldwide [1,2,3]. These shortages have led to serious consequences, especially in densely populated cities, with cases where people have had to operate manual, handheld respirators for protracted periods of time [4]
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