Preclinical evaluation of a low cost mechanical ventilator

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus placed the global health systems in crisis due to the shortage of materials, devices, and emergency ventilation equipment for the Intensive Care Units (ICU). Low-cost ventilator designs emerged as a necessary option for many countries seeking to ameliorate the impact and demands for respiratory equipment. At the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR), a prototype mechanical ventilator (TEC-Ventilator) was developed with the following features: the capability to achieve a tidal volume of 250 to 800 mL with controlled increments of 50 mL, a respiratory rate of 10 to 30 breaths/min, a variable Inspiration:Expiration ratio from 1:1 to 1:5, and a fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) of 21-70%. The safety and effectiveness of the device were evaluated in a preclinical study with eight pigs induced with acute lung injury, seven of which met the conditions for ventilator performance evaluation. Its performance was compared to that of a commercial ventilator used as a control by analyzing the statistical variation of parameters such as O2SAT, pO2, pCO2, pH, HCO3-, base excess, mean arterial pressure (MAP), respiratory rate (RESP), and heart rate (HR). It was found that the TEC ventilator provided stability of parameters equivalent to the commercial control. Additionally, the TEC ventilator did not cause complications and effectively managed respiratory failure in 100% of the evaluated subjects.