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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for ventilators worldwide has increased. And unfortunately, supply hasn’t been able to keep up, as many healthcare facilities have resorted to improvising their own fans, or doing what they have. This has made it very difficult for medical professionals to provide the necessary care needed by patients with coronavirus. Technology companies and private institutions have increased.
(Photo: Screenshot from: Official YouTube page of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
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Locally Accessible Fan Intervention Technology (VITAL)
Fortunately, engineers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have developed a new high-pressure ventilator designed to treat patients with COVID-19. These new fans have passed a critical test at the Icahn School of Medicine in Mount Sinai, New York, which is where the epicenter of the virus is located in the United States.
According to a statement from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the device is called VITAL or locally accessible ventilation intervention technology and was created at JPL in Southern California. They hope to reduce device shortages when it comes to supplying traditional fans. VITAL can be used in patients with severe respiratory cases.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Michael Watkins said, “We specialize in spacecraft, not medical device manufacturing, but excellent engineering, rigorous testing, and rapid prototyping are among our specialties. When The people at JPL realized that they might have what it takes to support the medical community and the community at large, they felt it was their duty to share their ingenuity, expertise and drive. “
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Medical experts are very ‘satisfied’ with the results.
NASA is now seeking accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration for VITAL through an emergency use authorization, which is the accelerated approval process created for crisis situations like a pandemic. This only takes days instead of years.
JPL has submitted a prototype of the machine to the Human Simulation Laboratory at the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine in New York for further testing.
VITAL can be built faster and can be easily maintained compared to a traditional ventilator that hospitals have been using. These machines are also made up of fewer parts, and most of them are available to manufacturers through existing supply chains.
Matthew Levin, director of innovation for the human simulation laboratory and associate professor of anesthesiology at the Icahn School of Medicine, said, “We were very pleased with the results of the tests we conducted in our high-fidelity human simulation laboratory.” The NASA prototype performed as expected in a wide variety of simulated patient conditions. The team is confident that the VITAL ventilator will be able to safely ventilate COVID-19 patients here in the United States and around the world. “
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