A team of engineers and physicians has developed a low-cost, easy-to-use emergency ventilator for Covid-19 patients. They work is described in an upcoming issue of the journal Medical Devices and Sensors, according to a statement released by University of California-San Diego. The team will be seeking approval for the device from the US Food and Drug Administration, it said. The device is built around a ventilator bag usually found in ambulances. The team built an automated system around the bag. Its components can be easily fabricated and the ventilator can be assembled in just 15 minutes, according to UC San Diego. It said the device’s electronics and sensors rely on a robust supply chain from fields that are not related to healthcare, and hence they are unlikely to be affected by shortages. The cost of a ventilator would be just $500 per unit. It has been named UCSD MADVent Mark V. It offers pressure-controlled ventilation equipped with alarms to signal that pressure is too low or too high. Source: University of California-San Diego
