Source: University at BuffaloResearchers at the University at Buffalo and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus are turning artificial manual breathing units, also called Ambu bags, into automated resuscitators to fill COVID-19-related supply chain ventilator shortages.

The manual resuscitators, which are commonly found in ambulances and emergency rooms and used to manually pump air into a patient’s lungs, can reportedly be transformed into automated devices with the addition of off-the-shelf electronics and a mechanical actuating device. According to developers, the actuating device pumps air into a patient’s lungs, functioning much like a mechanical ventilator that helps patients to breathe without human intervention.

As the team continues to develop the technology for automating the squeezing function of the resuscitator, they will also work to ensure compatibility with clinical standards and practices, with the ultimate goal of making those plans available online. The team is also attempting to secure Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the device.

With a global supply chain disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, critical personal protective equipment (PPE) and life saving ventilators are in short supply, forcing researchers from the University of Buffalo among others to seek creative solutions to the equipment shortages. One such solution came from a Spain-based automobile manufacturer that is producing medical ventilators using windshield wiper motors from its assembly line to power the medical devices.

Meanwhile, engineers from Johns Hopkins University are developing and prototyping a 3D-printed splitter that will make it possible for a single ventilator to simultaneously treat multiple patients.

To see how the mechanical actuating device works, watch the video that appears courtesy of the University at Buffalo.