Breathing apparatus maker JFD has developed a new patient ventilator system to support global health systems in combatting the coronavirus pandemic.
The James Fisher and Sons subsidiary has responded to the UK Government’s Rapidly Manufactured Ventilator System call to manufacturers, to support the provision of essential medical equipment for the NHS.
The company’s InVicto system can support global healthcare services by reducing pressure on intensive care units, to help save lives as the virus approaches its peak in many countries.
The InVicto ventilator is an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) systems. The equipment has been fully developed, including full in-house testing, and is ready for launch into full scale production and global distribution, said JFD.
InVicto is suitable for deployment in different types of medical and healthcare settings, due to its flexible design.
“This could be in a pre-critical temporary ward or care home, providing an enhanced breathing ventilation aid that offers an improvement over CPAP treatment,” said JFD.
The system extends to “full hospital ward capability” providing full ventilation support with patient monitoring, breathing gas and oxygen management and alarms.
JFD has designed the system with a specific focus on reducing use of oxygen. Core technology us based on breathing gas reclaim systems for the offshore diving industry.
The heart of the InVicto device comprises a solid form mechanical logic flow device, which is lightweight and powered by the breathing gas supply.
It has no electrical or moving parts and no external power requirements, enhancing reliability, said the company. The system can be “quickly deployed and redeployed to where it is needed most” and used in continuous operation for long periods.
JFD managing director Giovanni Corbetta said: “Since the global outbreak of COVID-19, JFD has been working around the clock, using all our experience in developing breathing apparatus and life support equipment to design the best possible solution for patients, doctors and healthcare authorities around the world.
“As well as basing our design on a proven medical ventilator device, a key part of this project has been to take into account the likely pressures on oxygen supply.
“Designing a ventilator with oxygen consumption in mind enabled us to apply our wide range of skills in gas management and highly precise patient monitoring, which we bring from our diving systems and medical hyperbaric rescue capabilities.”
University of Dundee Emeritus Professor of Medicine Philip James said: “The modular design of JFD’s ventilator provides real flexibility from a simple approach to further intervention depending on the severity of each patient.
“Critically, JFD has manufactured its product based on an existing ventilator design, which was proven and qualified for medical use in hyperbaric chambers. Fundamentally, we know that it works and can make an immense difference to patients that are suffering from COVID-19.”