Frugal Innovation: Enabling Mechanical Ventilation During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Resource-Limited Settings

Chintan Dave, MD; Paul Cameron, MD; John Basmaji, MD; Gordon Campbell, PhD; Edward Buga, MD; Marat Slessarev, MD, PhD

doi:10.1097/CCE.0000000000000410

Critical Care Explorations (Apr 2021)

Frugal Innovation: Enabling Mechanical Ventilation During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in Resource-Limited Settings

Chintan Dave, MD,
Paul Cameron, MD,
John Basmaji, MD,
Gordon Campbell, PhD,
Edward Buga, MD,
Marat Slessarev, MD, PhD

Affiliations

Chintan Dave, MD: 1 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Paul Cameron, MD: 1 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
John Basmaji, MD: 1 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Gordon Campbell, PhD: 2 Medical Biophysics Department, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Edward Buga, MD: 3 Department of Critical Care Medicine and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Marat Slessarev, MD, PhD: 1 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/CCE.0000000000000410
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3, no. 4
p. e0410

Abstract

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ICUs worldwide are facing resource shortages including increased need for provision of invasive mechanical ventilation during the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Fearing shortage of ventilators, many private companies and public institutions have focused on building new inexpensive, open-source ventilators. However, designing and building new ventilators is not sufficient for addressing invasive mechanical ventilation needs in resource-limited settings. In this commentary, we highlight additional interdependent constraints that should be considered and provide a framework for addressing these constraints to ensure that the increasing stockpile of open-source ventilators are easily deployable and sustainable for use in resource-limited settings.

Published in Critical Care Explorations

ISSN: 2639-8028 (Online)
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid
Website: https://journals.lww.com/ccejournal/pages/default.aspx

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