A research team from University of Oxford and King’s College London, U.K., has designed a prototype ventilator using off-the-shelf equipment with components for quick assembly. The initiative has been shortlisted by the U.K. government to proceed to the next stage of testing for safety and usability.

The OxVent was designed in a two-week period with standard resuscitation bag and valves commonly used in clinical settings, with some elements produced by 3D printing. If the ventilator passes the required safety tests, it will rapidly move into production with the medical manufacturer company Smith and Nephew to augment supplies needed for COVID-19 patients.

The OxVent is a compressible bag used to resuscitate patients during cardiac arrest, placed inside a rigid perspex box. Compressed air squeezes the bag, blowing oxygen into the lungs, with the frequency of breaths controlled by simple electronics costing less than £100 ($122 USD).

The ventilator system has been designed to be produced at a large scale in a relatively short period of time.

Composed of off-the-shelf equipment, the ventilator will now be tested for safety and usability. Source: OxVent