British experts have devised a new type of ventilator that could allow more patients with true Covid-19 to be treated outside of intensive care, reducing pressure on hospitals hit hard by it. the coronavirus crisis.
The pandemic has put a lot of pressure on the NHS, with figures from earlier this month showing that the number of patients with coronavirus was almost double the number in days darkest of last year’s first wave.
The researchers said their device, called an exovent, is more comfortable for the patient, cheaper than those currently used in intensive care units (ICUs), and requires less staff to manage it.
Exovent is a negative pressure cooler – which means it works by reducing external pressure to allow lung tension to expand and function in a similar way to normal breathing.
The device, modeled on the ‘iron lung’ used to fight the polio crisis in the 20th century, works differently from the more advanced air conditioners that will, instead, pushing air into the lungs.
The device has already been successfully tested on six healthy adults, although it needs to be put through its stages in a full clinical trial before it can be used universally.
The researchers found that it was possible to ‘both deliver greater lung enlargement to people who were breathing alone, and powerful ventilation to completely take over people’s breathing, using only negative breathing pressures.
British experts have devised a new type of ventilator, called an exovent, that could allow more patients with genuine Covid-19 to be treated outside of intensive care.
As positive pressure machines became much smaller, cheaper and more convenient over the years, research on negative pressure machines has largely been abandoned since the 1950s.
However, the scientists behind the exovent said that negative pressure devices are far more tedious than either advanced pressure ventilation, where a tube is inserted into the windpipe, or positive pressure air pressure (CPAP). , where oxygen is delivered through a tightly fitting face mask. .
Patients do not have to be depressed and can take food and medication by mouth, as well as talk to loved ones on the phone when using an exovent, they said.
The family of the late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking supported the new cooler.
He died in 2018 after battling motor neurone disease since 1963 and was dependent on an air conditioner to survive.
His family told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘As the family of a man with ventilation, we know the difference in life and death that access to this type of medical technology makes. ‘
Exovent is a negative pressure cooler – which means it works by reducing the outside pressure of the body to allow the lung tissue to expand and function in a similar way to normal breathing.
The device, modeled on the ‘iron lung’ (pictured) used to fight the polio crisis in the 20th century, works differently from the advanced pressure air machines that, instead, pushing air into the lungs
During the first wave of coronavirus crisis last year, private companies rushed to build a new air-conditioning offer amid fears that hospitals would run out of devices as coronavirus hospitals grew. very much.
Ian Joesbury, exovent chief executive, said: ‘We are delighted to announce this life-saving system which is a progressive reversal of existing technology.
‘Because the patient does not need to be rotated it opens up other treatment options that could allow more patients with Covid-19 to be treated outside of intensive care.’
A team of anesthetists, nurses and engineers were involved in the design of the outdoor room, in which a center is placed on a typical hospital bed.
A pump unit is connected to the base by hoses and pressure around the torso can be adjusted using a control unit.
The patient’s torso can be monitored through a window and accessed through portholes.
The device was tested on six healthy adults in the presence of three senior anesthetists.
According to the researchers, the exovent was able to deliver both elevated lung enlargement to people who were breathing alone, and powerful ventilation to completely exhale, using only negative pressures. negative ‘.
However, they said a clinical trial is needed to fully validate the device.
They believe that exovent people with other respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can help.
According to the team, an outdoor machine costs around £ 8,000, making it cheaper than existing advanced pressure equipment, which costs around £ 15,000 for CPAP machines and over £ 30,000 for intensive care air machines. .
The researchers said they plan to submit their exterior design to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates medical devices in the UK.
In the meantime, details of the device were published in the journal Anesthesia.
The family of the late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (pictured) said: ‘As the family of a man with ventilation, we know the difference life and death that access to this type of medical technology makes’