A group of youngsters from the cochin integrated startup complex is on a mission to arrange respiratory assistance for COVID-19 patients.This respiratory assistance will lend a helping hand in the efforts of medical teams across the country, incase a shortage of ventilators happens. It is the prototype of Kerala’s own respiratory assistance device that has taken shape in Kerala Startup Mission with the support of government of kerala.
One of the biggest challenges faced by healthcare systems in fighting coronavirus is the lack of ventilators. With the virus began spreading all over the world, ventilators have become a necessity. Here, a prototype of ‘Alternative Respiratory Assistance Equipment’ has been developed to support patients’ life.
Need for ventilators
The infection turns dangerous in affected person when the virus affects the respiratory system. Fluid would build up in the lungs, leading the patient to a severe condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS, which increases the risk of death. Then, the patient will have to be shifted to ventilator systems in the ICU. In such emergency,
lack of medical assistance or sufficient numbers ventilators can lead to the patient’s death.
The respiratory assistance Kerala has developed will be a timely assistance if ventilator shortage arises in our country. Since it is an open-source, the model can be manufactured anywhere. What is significant is that compared to the high-cost ventilators, this can be made available with just Rs 800. This also opens an avenue for medical equipment manufacturers to produce it commercially.
An innovation for medical team
This innovation by Kerala will be a helping hand in medical teams’ efforts to save the lives of COVID-19 patients.For a country like India that imports almost 80 per cent of medical devices including ventilators, it is imperative to have domestic innovation and production at a time like this. The currentscenario demands around 70000 ventilators urgently. That makes Kerala’s innovation
significant.
