Individualized System for Augmenting Ventilator Efficacy (iSAVE): A Rapidly deployable system to expand ventilator capacity

Shriya Srinivasan; Khalil Ramadi; Franceso Vicario; Declan Gwynne; Alison Hayward; Robert Langer; Joseph Frassica; Rebecca Baron; Giovanni Traverso

While subacute changes in resistance and compliance can be accommodated, it is vital that the iSAVE provide alerts in response to acute changes for patient safety. The ventilator alarm was set to detect changes in the overall expiratory volume. We mechanically occluded tubing of one lung to simulate an instantaneous change in resistance, which created a reduction of flow in one channel and spike in pressures/volumes of the other (Supplemental Figure 2 ). This instantaneously caused the ventilator alarm to activate. We also simulated the loss of the endotracheal tube to one lung, which causes a leak in the system yielding minimized flow to either lung. This activated the main ventilator leak alarm. We closed the valve to the disconnected lung and titrated the other valve to deliver the desired volume ( Figure 1H ). This process can be additionally utilized to remove a patient from the ventilator (in cases such as cardiac arrest or weaning from the ventilator) without leak into the room, aerosolizing virus and exposing healthcare workers.