Valencia university develops ventilators

VALENCIA'Ss Polytechnic University (UPV) has headed the development of a new mechanical ventilator which is now ready to be manufactured on an industrial level and will help hospitals with patients affected by Covid-19.

Alongside the team of the UPV, researchers from the Biomechanics Institute (IBV) and the AIDIMME Technological Institute have taken part, as well as experts in respiratory mechanical ventilation technology from Valencia University and Barcelona University.

Respiratory insufficiency is one of the symptoms linked to Covid-19. It is believed that between 3 and 7% of people infected with the virus will require mechanical ventilation systems.

“With the incidence of this pandemic, our health system can become overwhelmed. Our work wants to contribute to the number of ventilators available in our hospitals. The equipment has been validated in the lab and is ready to be produced in mass, after obtaining the permit of the Spanish Medicines and Health Products Agency,” says Javier Saiz, head of the Centre for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering (Ci2B) of the UPV and coordinator of the work team that has developed the ventilator.

Developed in just 10 days

The ventilator has been developed in just 10 days. It consists of a controlled electricalmechanical device that will maintain the respiratory cycle of critical patients. It stands out due to its simplicity, easy handling and small size.

“Furthermore, its design facilitates a fast and simple manufacturing for companies,” adds Carlos Atienza, head of innovation of Health Technology from the Biomechanics Institute (IBV) and coordinator of the mechanical development of the ventilator.

The system will allow health staff to control the frequency of the respiratory cycle, the volume of air and its pressure. Furthermore, it has different sensors and alarms that help maintain an adequate control of the patients’ breathing.

For its validation, the team coordinated by the UPV worked with the Virtual Hospital of Valencia’s Catholic University (UCV), who provided a simulator that can replicate the physiological conditions of a patient with Covid-19 (ASL 5000 of company Medical Simulator).

Companies ready to produce it in mass

After being validated in the laboratories of the Polytechnic City of Innovation, scientific park of the UPV, a large number of companies showed their willingness to manufacture it in mass, including ones from the automotive sector such as Agfra, CLR, Itera, Nutai and IT8, as well as from the metal-mechanic sector and others.