A city-based MSME has developed a prototype of a low-cost ventilator within just one week.
The company has started developing an engineering model on the basis of the prototype model that can withstand all necessary specifications and standards of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
“We have started working on the prototype in consultation with 13 biomedical experts in different countries and developed the model within one week,” Srinivas Chamarthy, an entrepreneur who heads CYME Automation Systems Private Ltd, said, giving details about their ventilator model.
The basic functional ventilator model has controllable parameters regarding respiration rate, tidal volume and positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) of air and oxygen mix. Mr. Srinivas told The Hindu that they had managed with a solenoid instead of motorised linear valve at the output by controlling the closing and opening rate through current control.
The engineering model being developed by them would overcome all the shortcomings in the prototype, which also lacked the linear pump to maintain PEEP pressure at the exhalation valve and display of waveforms for doctors, Mr. Srinivas said.
Apart from fine-tuning the control and calibration of the measurement in the equipment, testing on biological specimens would also be taken up with the engineering model.
“Being an MSME company, even the development of prototype life support equipment model was possible with the support of a well-known city-based electro-physiologist and cardiologist C. Narsimhan and encouragement of DRDO chairman G. Satheesh Reddy,” Mr. Srinivas said, adding that the model would be costing between ₹35,000 and ₹45,000 a unit.
