In China and Italy, SIPAP is used to alleviate the condition of patients with Covid-19. In less than a week, engineers from University College London, doctors from University College Hospital, and the Mercedes Formula 1 team have developed a breathing device for coronavirus patients. It does not require a ventilator to deliver oxygen to the patient’s lungs.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices are already used in hospitals, but they are in short supply. In China and Italy, they are used to alleviate the condition of patients with Covid-19. 40 units have been delivered to University College London and three other hospitals in the UK capital. If they prove successful, Mercedes-AMG-HPP, the engine manufacturer for Formula 1 cars, will be able to produce up to a thousand units a day in a week. The Federal Service for Surveillance of Healthcare Products and Medical Devices has already approved its use.
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, industrial, technology, and engineering companies have formed a consortium to produce artificial lung ventilators (ALVs) for the country’s healthcare system. The consortium, called VentilatorChallengeUK, includes giants such as Airbus, BAE Systems, Ford, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens. Companies received an order from the government to produce more than 10 thousand ventilators, although prior approval from the regulator will be required. Production is expected to begin in the coming days. High Value Manufacturing Catapult CEO Dick Elsey said: “The consortium has brought together some of the most innovative companies in the world. They are working with great determination and energy to scale up the production of much-needed ventilators and to fight the virus that is causing so much suffering in so many countries”.
Professor Rebecca Shipley of University College London told the BBC: “It usually takes years to develop a medical device, but we managed to do it in a matter of days because we based it on a simple existing device and borrowed the technologies used in it so that it could be produced quickly and on a large scale.” This means that the specialists have analyzed, copied and improved the previously created unpatented SIPAP device and adapted it for mass production.
It took several days to develop the device. According to initial data from the Lombardy region of Italy, 50% of patients connected to such devices did not need to be transferred to mechanical ventilation. Consultant of the Intensive Care Unit at University College Hospital, Mervin Singer, said: “CPAP is an intermediate step between a simple oxygen mask and forced ventilation, which requires the patient to be under anesthesia. It will help save lives because there is a shortage of ventilators and they are only used for the most critically ill patients. It delivers a constant stream of mixed air and oxygen to the patient’s airways. This is done under pressure, which prevents the airways from closing and allows more oxygen to enter the lungs.
The SIPAP device provides constant airway pressure. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. Episodes End of story. Podcast advertising. As a result, less effort is required to breathe, especially in situations where the alveoli have collapsed due to Covid-19. Unlike a regular mask that delivers oxygen, NIV delivers air and oxygen under pressure, requiring a mask that fits tightly over the patient’s face – over the mouth and nose or as a clear hood over the head. Unlike mechanical ventilation, this method is less invasive and does not require the patient to be heavily anesthetized or have an endotracheal tube inserted into their airway. But Duncan Yang, Professor of Resuscitation at the University of Oxford, is cautious: “The use of CPAP devices in patients with infectious respiratory infections raises questions, because where the mask is close to the face and there is even a tiny gap, secretions can leak out and come into contact with medical staff.” Mervin Singer asserts that if the mask is always kept airtight or replaced with a helmet, and if health care workers are provided with proper individual protective equipment, the risk is minimal. There are over 2 thousand patients on Covid-19 on mechanical ventilation in hospitals in Lombardy.
This device eliminates the need for an intubation tube. Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains Manager Andy Cowell said: “The people involved in Formula 1 have stepped up in the best possible way when asked for help… It is a great honour for us to be able to provide resources to University College London so that the SIPAP project can be carried out to the highest standards and in the shortest possible time”. A small company called Oxford Optronix, which makes oxygen level monitors for equipment, is also involved in the development of the device along with the “Mercedes” team.