ResUHUrge respirator passes the first tests
Junta de Andalucía
May 14, 2020
The equipment has demonstrated its effectiveness in situations of respiratory distress in animals, in addition to passing a complete test in artificial lung, both in the Advanced Multifunctional Complex for Simulation and Technological Innovation, headquarters of the IAVANTE line of the Foundation for Progress and Health in Granada
The ventilator was designed by a team from the University of Huelva, led by José Sánchez Segovia, a specialist in Radiophysics at the Juan Ramón Jiménez Hospital, and by University of Huelva professors José Manuel Andújar and Ismael Martel, directors of the ‘Control and Robotics (TEP 192) and ‘Structure of Matter (FQM 318)’ research groups, respectively, has passed two important tests in view of its implementation as a mechanical ventilation device that can be used in hospitals, either in case it is needed due to the health crisis caused by COVID-19 or in other situations where this equipment is required.
The tests that the device from Huelva has passed, in which professionals from Juan Ramón Jiménez Hospital have also participated, consisted of its application in an artificial lung and in an animal model in a situation of acute respiratory distress, both of which were passed with the maximum clinical guarantees, implying progress towards the test in ICU patients.
RES(UHU)RGE,
as this device has been named, has differential characteristics with respect to other conventional equipment that have been positively evaluated both in CMAT and by ICU professionals, especially assessing its effectiveness against situations of respiratory distress in animal models with a very satisfactory result according to the report of results of that evaluation, guided by experts in clinical simulation and specialists in intensive care medicine, in particular, Luis Peñas, a collaborator of IAVANTE and a leading expert in mechanical ventilation.
The Technology Transfer Office of the Andalusian Public Health System, which is part of the Progreso y Salud Foundation, is already working on plans for its production, once it has passed the following relevant tests
This new ventilator ‘made in Andalusia’ positions the R&D&I of the autonomous community, in which the Regional Government and the universities take an active part, as a system of knowledge generation that during this pandemic is contributing to improve the results of the Andalusian health system, on the basis of the design of equipment, projects, studies and clinical trials that are at the forefront in the country.
In this sense, both the Regional Ministry of Health and Families and the University of Huelva are fully committed to playing a relevant role as an instrument of citizen progress. The RES(UHU)RGE prototype is a good example of excellent, quality, internationally competitive research, which transfers with innovative solutions to help solve the social, technological, economic and health challenges affecting our autonomous community.
Ventilator design
Regarding the design of RES(UHU)RGE, specifically, Professor Andújar’s group has been in charge of the design and implementation of the electronics, control systems, instrumentation and communications of the prototype, while Professor Martel’s team has carried out the physical/mechanical part of the respirator, performing the design and implementation of ducts, valves, sensors and integration of the entire equipment in the respirator case. The design of the ventilator has been directed from the clinical perspective by José Sánchez Segovia, radiophysicist, former head of the Radiophysics Service of the Juan Ramón Jiménez Hospital and collaborator of the University of Huelva.
These researchers have also been joined by two people from outside the UHU, whose participation has been fundamental to the success of the project, Carlos García, a specialist in 3D design and machining; and Ladislao Martínez, an expert in 3D resin manufacturing.
In practice, the device developed has two modes of operation: patient-assisted, where the patient determines the entire breathing cycle; and ventilator-controlled, when the patient is unable to support breathing on his own.
Finally, another of the advantages offered by this design is that the ventilator can be connected to a data network via cable or wifi, or even generate its own wifi network, in the event that no connection is available where it is installed. “This feature allows, for example, patients in isolation to be monitored without having to go in and out of the room,” says José Manuel Andújar
