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CRITICAL
CARE VENTILATIONS
Ventilators
are to provide adequate ventilation to achieve the desired
arterial concentration of oxygen and carbon-di-oxide
to patients under anaesthesia, coma, snakebite etc.
The basic relationship between the respiratory gases
namely oxygen consumption and carbon-di-oxide production
has to be maintained artificially when breathing ceases
or when it is difficult to breathe spontaneously in
many conditions such as in trauma, head injury and serious
conditions of coma. If patient can be connected to
a good ventilator, which can maintain oxygen-carbon-di-oxide
ratio in the blood normal, life goes on for longer duration
during which repair processes can take place.
Because
of the high cost, the ventilators are not available
in many hospitals. In fact, there is requirement of
ventilators even in Primary Health Centres as many injured
patients can be saved if they can be connected to a
ventilator till they are shifted to a good hospital.
Portable automatic mechanical ventilator [which can
be transported in an ambulance] if produced in our country
at an affordable price will have a higher market potential.
Consultation with anaesthetists and hospital managers
in this regard indicate a market requirement of 2000-3000
ventilators per year, provided the price can be kept
between 2.5-3.0 lakhs. Considering the above facts,
a proposal for Semi-automatic Mechanical Ventilator
[basically a Mechanical Ventilator with some automatic
provisions] has been planned. The project was undertaken
by SBMT with NIMHANS Bangalore, PSG college of Technology,
Coimbatore and DMRL, Hyderabad and KG Hospital, Coimbatore
as partners. Two prototypes have been developed and
are being evaluated. Four more Prototypes are contemplated,
so that proper evaluation can be carried out at different
institutions. Technology Transfer is on the anvil and
will be cost-effectively priced.
Source: Society for Biomedical Technology,
Affordable Health Care Technology
Date: 17th May 1998
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