Al-Quds University in the Palestine has succeeded in constructing a fully-computerised and low-cost medical ventilator to be used for patients infected with the coronavirus.
The ventilator, which will be ready for production and widespread use after a final approval is issued by the Palestinian Standards Institute (PSI), has been designed to offer differing modes of breathing support, and can respond to varying emergency situations within intensive care units (ICUs) and field treatment centres.
The new equipment can be produced within a short space of time and at a low cost, adding to its benefits. It was built from materials and hardware that were locally available rather than externally sourced.
It was designed and constructed by a team of senior professors from the university’s medicine and engineering faculties. A number of other experts were also involved in the building of the ventilator, including intensivists, pulmonologists, and electronic and computer engineers.
The ventilator prototype has already successfully passed various preliminary technical and medical tests which ended last Wednesday, with the PSI now conducting its examination of the machinery. With preliminary approval already having been issued, the university is now awaiting the final approval following the completion of more tests.
