Wednesday, 20 May 2020, 3:53 pmPress Release: University of Canterbury

A simple, low-cost technology developed by University ofCanterbury (UC) engineers could save thousands ofpatients lives around the world by doubling the capacityof ventilators in hospital intensive care units, boostingtheir capacity to treat surges of Covid-19 patients duringoutbreaks.

DistinguishedProfessor Geoff Chase, from UCs College ofEngineering, has worked with Christchurch Hospital SeniorIntensive Care Specialist Geoff Shaw, Professor MerrynTawhai of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, andengineers and senior doctors in Belgium and Malaysia toallow two patients to use one ventilator safely andeffectively, using a novel active valve concept.

Aproject to develop, test, and initially deploy the uniquesystem has just been awarded $150,000 from the Ministry ofBusiness Innovation and Employments Covid-19Innovation Fund.

A first prototype has alreadybeen made and put into action using mechanical lungsattached to a ventilator at UCs Department of MechanicalEngineering and testing will move to Christchurch Hospitalsoon.

The UC-led international research team plans totest, prove and then distribute the active breathing circuitsystem globally on an open source basis, so itssoftware and designs would be freely available.

Webelieve this can, and will, save countless livesinternationally by doubling ventilator capacity and sparingdoctors from having to make terrible end-of-life carechoices, Prof Chase says. It will provide time forhealth systems to weather the Covid-19 pandemic storm whenmajor outbreaks occur by increasing intensive care capacity.In New Zealand, a doubling would mean hospitals could, inthe short term, provide mechanical ventilation to somethinglike 460 patients instead of being limited to around 230ventilated ICU beds currently.

This is a clevertechnology. Its very simple, quickly implemented, andlow-cost, but high impact, solution. We can have the firstprototypes ready in one to three months, or faster, andpilot-trial tested quickly after that. We will develop themlocally and then make them available internationally withfreely available software and designs to be 3D printed inhospitals, Prof Chase says.

Worldwide there is ashortage of ventilators because critically ill Covid-19patients need mechanical ventilation to control breathingand allow recovery, sometimes for more than three weeks. Inseveral countries the wave of novel coronavirus patients hasoverwhelmed hospital resources.

Through strong earlyaction New Zealand has so far avoided such a feared influxof patients. However, it has one of the lowest numbers ofventilated intensive care unit beds per 100,000 populationin the first world, and both modelling and experience in therest of the world has shown this capacity could be exceededif demand increased rapidly in a major outbreak.

Thenew technology uses mechatronics and modern manufacturing such as 3D printing to create a pressure sensordriven active control valve system that lets each patientbreathe alternately one at a time. This approach is known asin series breathing.

Despite internetpopularity, using a single ventilator for more than onepatient, where they all breathe together or inparallel is seen by medical experts as too risky.However, Prof Chase and Prof Shaw and their team have shownhow this low-cost active breathing circuit concept usingin series breathing allows it to be done safely. Theirconcept was just described and published in CriticalCare, a leading intensive care medicinejournal.

This all-new approach will require verylittle change to current clinical ventilation practice,Prof Shaw says. The device and active breathing circuitweve proposed is a technology extension that enables eachpatient connected to a ventilator to be treated individuallyby the machine, instead of breathing in parallel at the sametime, which is higher risk to both patients. We believe ourtechnology could also lead to improvements in other areas ofventilation care.

His team is collaborating withICU clinicians in Christchurch, Malaysia and Belgium ontesting and proof of concept, with the research led from NewZealand. This international team shares over 15 years ofjoint research on intensive care medicine, creating novelinnovations that have significantly improved care andoutcomes for many patients.

This system is anotherexample of how clinicians and engineers can successfullywork together to create innovative products that can solveurgent international problems, Prof Chase says.

Theother members of the team are Prof Merryn Tawhai at theAuckland Bioengineering Institute, Dr Yeong-Shiong Chiew atMonash Malaysia, Dr Thomas Desaive at Liege University inBelgium, and Professor Bernard Lambermont and ProfessorPhilippe Morimont at CHU de Liege Hospital ICU.

ProfChase is Deputy Director of the New Zealand MedTech Centreof Research Excellence and the MedTech Spearhead leader forthe National Science Challenge, Science for TechnologicalInnovation (SfTI), and acknowledges their support in helpingget this concept off theground.

Scoop Media

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New UC Technology Doubling Ventilator Capacity Could Save Thousands Of Covid-19 Patients - Scoop.co.nz