Development of safe and effective indigenous intensive care unit ventilators for COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 has spread rapidly worldwide infecting >= 4 million people including >= 2.9 million deaths and overwhelming health-care systems globally. It has prompted governments to open field medical facilities to decongest hospitals and triage patients. Governments are preparing for a stage 3 surge in cases leading to a situation of "severe shortage" of mechanical ventilators due to an overwhelming number of cases. Health authorities are looking into measures for mass production of ventilators with locally available materials. However, when deploying these devices on patients, it is imperative to ascertain if they are safe and do not perpetuate a vicious circle of worsening lung injury and death. The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency have brought out guidelines that emergency ventilators manufactured for the current epidemic need to satisfy.