Portable Ventilator
The research team from IIT Roorkee that included Prof. Akshay Dvivedi and Prof. Arup Kumar Das worked with Dr. Debendra Tripathi from AIIMS Rishikesh through online support to prepare this ventilator using a quick time technology to help the COVID-19 patients. Dubbed as ‘Prana-Vayu,’ the ventilator is equipped with state-of-the-art features and still, the manufacturing cost per ventilator is estimated to be just Rs. 25,000.
The closed-loop ventilator works when the controlled operation of a prime mover delivers the required amount of air to the patient. This automated process controls the pressure and flow rates in inhalation and exhalation lines. The ventilator can control tidal volume, breaths per minute and it also does not require compressed air for functioning. So, it can be useful in cases when open areas are converted into isolation wards.
The ventilator is safe and reliable as it has real-time spirometry and alarm features. It will be useful for a wide range of congestions in the respiratory tract and for all age group patients. The prototype of this prototype has been tested successfully.
Face Shields
IIT’s technical facility named ‘The Tinkering Laboratory’ also developed a shield for health workers who face COVID-19 patients. The shield can be used along with the protective N-95 mask by healthcare personnel while entering the wards of COVID-19 patients. As per Professor Akshay Dvivedi, co-ordinator, The Tinkering Laboratory, the shield is “based on the design of spectacles with a 3D printed frame.” The frame consists of a transparent sheet to protect the face and it could also be replaced. The spectacle-type design of the shield offers ease of replacement and it has a reusable frame. The cost of the transparent sheet is as low as Rs 5. The total manufacturing cost per face shield is approx. Rs 45 and its mass production cost will be less than Rs. 25. IIT Roorkee will send the first batch of 100 shields to AIIMS, Rishikesh. Prof. Ravi Kant, from AIIMS Rishikesh, said, “These face shields will be of utmost use not only for medical health workers of our Institute but for the whole country”.
