Design and application of a low-cost, easy-to-build, non-invasive, pressure-controlled ventilator for pediatric use in low-resource countries.

Abstract

The aim of this project was to design and apply a low-cost, easy-to-build, non-invasive, pressure-controlled ventilator for pediatric use in low-resource countries. The ventilator was built using off-the-shelf components and an open-source design, with a total cost of less than €200. It is noteworthy that this ventilator is an adaptation of a previous project that was designed for adult use. In order to adapt the previous project to a pediatric use, a method to increase the respiratory rate was implemented, as children have a higher respiratory rate compared to adults, and this has been through the incorporation of a valve. The prototype was evaluated in a bench test using an active patient simulator, which modeled the respiratory mechanics of patients with different levels of obstructive/restrictive diseases. Four respiratory systems were set for testing the ventilator, mimicking a patient with mild disease, a purely obstructive patient, a purely restrictive patient and a patient with both obstruction and restriction. The device was able to function effectively at high frequencies and was able to resolve the issue of inadequate time for breaths at high frequencies. The results of this project demonstrate that it is possible to create a low-cost, easy-to-build, non-invasive, pressure-controlled ventilator for pediatric use in low-resource countries. The device is easy to construct, utilizes minimal complex components and can be replicated using the open-source design and materials. As a future improvement, the ventilator could be developed to also function as a support ventilator, detecting when the patient is attempting to inhale and initiating ventilation automatically when a predefined threshold pressure is exceeded.