A ‘cutting-edge’ ventilator, backed by the family of Stephen Hawking, is due to be trialled in the fight against COVID-19, says a report in The Daily Telegraph. The new model, named Exovent, is a reinvention of the 'iron lung’, a Negative Pressure Ventilator which saved the lives of thousands of polio victims in the 20th century.
While traditional ventilators require patients to be sedated and sometimes paralysed, Exovent is non-invasive and can be used on a normal ward, reducing the strain on intensive care units. The device also allows patients to remain conscious during treatment and it is not reliant on oxygen – which has become a precious resource for hospitals treating large numbers of coronavirus patients.
The report says the collaborative task force behind the technology is made up of Cambridge-based engineers, Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, the Warwick Manufacturing Group alongside the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital and Imperial NHS Trust.
In the first instance, the device will be trialled at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, in collaboration with teams from other centres. According to Dr Malcolm Coulthard, a paediatrician at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary who is working with the taskforce, once trials are completed the technology could be swiftly rolled out across the UK.
The team has estimated that 5,000 units could be produced each week.
[link url="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/11/iron-lung-backed-stephen-hawkings-family-trialled-covid-19-patients/?WT.mc_id=e_DM1233282&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_GHS_New_Daily&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_GHS_New_Daily20200411&utm_campaign=DM1233282"]Full report in The Daily Telegraph[/link]