Design and Prototyping of a Low-Cost Portable Mechanical Ventilator

Abstract

This paper describes the design and prototyping of a low-cost portable mechanical ventilator for use in mass casualty cases and resource-poor environments. The ventilator delivers breaths by compressing a conventional bag-valve mask (BVM) with a pivoting cam arm, eliminating the need for a human operator for the BVM. An initial prototype was built out of acrylic, measuring <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>11.25</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:mn>6.7</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:mn>8</mml:mn> <mml:mtext> </mml:mtext> <mml:mi>in</mml:mi> <mml:msup><mml:mtext>.</mml:mtext> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> and weighing 9 lbs. It is driven by an electric motor powered by a 14.8 VDC battery and features an adjustable tidal volume up to a maximum of 750 ml. Tidal volume and number of breaths per minute are set via user-friendly input knobs. The prototype also features an assist-control mode and an alarm to indicate overpressurization of the system. Future iterations of the device will include a controllable inspiration to expiration time ratio, a pressure relief valve, PEEP capabilities, and an LCD screen. With a prototyping cost of only $420, the bulk-manufacturing price for the ventilator is estimated to be less than $200. Through this prototype, the strategy of cam-actuated BVM compression is proven to be a viable option to achieve low-cost, low-power portable ventilator technology that provides essential ventilator features at a fraction of the cost of existing technology.