Vietnamese invent COVID-19 ventilators
Medical ventilators, devices that help patients breathe, are crucial in the treatment of COVID-19 as the virus affects the respiratory system. In serious cases, the disease can cause the patient to be unable to breathe on his own. That’s why health authorities in many countries are trying to buy or produce ventilators for their own use to curb fatalities. However, these ventilators are neither cheap nor plentiful.
With that in mind, a group of teachers from the Hanoi University Of Science And Technology (HUST) has invented their own ventilators to help COVID-19 patients in Vietnam.
They spent less than a month to invent a ventilator
Image credit: Hanoi University Of Technology And Science
On 15th May, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MOH) carried out tests and assessments of BK-Vent, a COVID-19 ventilator invented by the teachers of HUST.
The ventilator is produced with only made-in-Vietnam components, and its specifications conform to the requirements set by Vietnam’s MOH and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation.
Image credit: Hanoi University Of Technology And Science
The research for the ventilator took approximately a month, from 4th till 30th April, and was led by Professor Vũ Duy Hải, Director of Biomedical Electronics Engineering Center under HUST. The team also comprised people from other fields such as engineering, telecommunication, biomedical, chemical technology, and mechanical dynamics.
Professor Vũ Duy Hải
Image adapted from: Cafe sáng với VTV3
They can produce 300 to 500 ventilators per month
Because the research and development of BK-Vent took less than 30 days, the HUST team estimates that they would be able to manufacture about 300 to 500 ventilators in 1 month.
Testing the ventilator on a student
Image adapted from: Cafe sáng với VTV3
In the event of a COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam, HUST said that it will manufacture and supply all relevant medical agencies with ventilators in the shortest amount of time possible.
“BK-Vent can help with the breathing of infected patients through the combination of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and volume control ventilation,” Professor Vũ Duy Hải said.
The smart functionalities of the device can also help with more precise synchronization of a patient’s breathing, he added.
Hanoi University Of Science and Technology (HUST)
Established in 1956, Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) is Vietnam’s first and largest technical and technology training hub.
Image adapted from: Đại học Bách khoa Hà Nội – Hanoi University of Science and Technology
The university currently has over 40,000 students and graduates, with over 150 undergrad and postgraduate programs. HUST has also made considerable contributions to Vietnam’s medical advancements, the most recent of which are the inventions of the COVID-19 testing kits and disinfection booths.
Made-in-Vietnam ventilators for COVID-19 treatment
As the number of COVID-19 patients continues to rise in many parts of the world, health authorities in many countries are trying to source quality ventilators. This surge in demand is being met with a severe shortage in supply, as many orders are being rejected.
Vietnam has not had any ventilator-producing company to date and has had to import the devices from overseas instead. Now that Vietnam can produce ventilators domestically, it will be better prepared for the battle against COVID-19 pandemic.
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Cover image adapted from: Hanoi University Of Technology And Science
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