In Ukraine, connectors for artificial lung ventilation devices are printed on a 3D printer

The acute shortage of artificial lung ventilation devices in Italy, the United States and other countries where many thousands of people have contracted a coronavirus infection has prompted Ukrainian developers to create a device (called a connector) that allows them to be connected not one at a time, but two at a time. Thus, to save twice as many lives.

The connector is a plastic product reminiscent of the Latin letter “Y”, the company MAWI began shipping them to American clinics, where they are already used in the business. Now the company also sends to Italy a number of other countries.

– We print connectors on 3D printers, about 100 pieces a day, and send them to foreign clinics who need them, – said a representative of the company Andriy Klimenko from Kyiv by phone. – Some hospitals abroad receive them for free.

– How much does one product cost?

– Ten dollars. Ukrainian clinics will provide them free of charge. Today we have transferred our products to two medical institutions in Kyiv. It is important that the connectors are successfully tested in one of them.

The test was conducted under the guidance of the President of the Association of Anesthesiologists of Ukraine, the chief specialist of the Ministry of Health Professor Sergiy Dubrov.

– At first we tested the connector without the participation of patients, and only after that we engaged people, – said Professor Sergiy Dubrov on the phone. – During the volunteer tests, we monitored the content of gases and hemoglobin in their blood (both arterial and venous). The results were even better than usual when one person, rather than two, is connected to the ventilator. How to explain this phenomenon is difficult to say.

– And yet, are there any restrictions on using these devices for two patients at the same time?

– Yes. According to their anthropological data (height, weight), both patients should be approximately the same. In addition, the volume should be supplied with more than the usual volume of air, as it should be enough for two.

You need to understand that connectors are not a panacea. However, they will be needed in critical situations, similar to those in which there are now hospitals in Italy, where many patients are unable to save due to lack of artificial ventilation. God forbid that this would not happen in Ukraine.

Now in our country about 3.5 thousand devices of artificial ventilation of lungs. So far, only a few of them are involved. Delivery of new such high-tech devices is possible within a few months. So the ability to use connectors for dramatically worsening the situation with coronavirus infection can help us. It is important that if such a device is needed at a country’s healthcare facility, then it can be delivered within hours.

Previously, we were told that Ukraine has created a lung ventilation device to help save coronavirus patients. It was designed to be the type of breathing apparatus used by WWII bombers to fly at high altitudes.

Source: fakty.ua