National Aerospace Laboratories, Bengaluru, on Monday said it has developed its version of BiPAP, a non-invasive breathing support device, for the use of non-critical non-ICU cases of COVID-19.
The premier aerospace lab of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research said its team of doctors and specialists used a spinoff aerospace technology to come out with the device. The ventilator, named SwasthVayu, was developed in a record time of 36 days, a release said.
NAL Director Jitendra J. Jadhav said, “This is ideal for treating COVID-19 patients in wards, makeshift hospitals, dispensaries and home in the current Indian COVID-19 scenario.”
NAL said its BiPAP, with an externally connected oxygen concentrator, will be ideal to treat moderate or mid-stage severe COVID-19 patients who do not require intubation and invasive ventilation.
Talks have been initiated with public and private industries to be production partners of NAL. It has also begun the process of seeking regulatory approvals.
The device was developed based on global experiences and specific inputs from pulmonologists in India and abroad.
NAL said the machine is simple to use without needing specialised nursing, is cost effective, compact and configured mostly with indigenous components.
A team of technocrats and medical practitioners led by C.M. Ananda, Head, Electronics Department; Amarnarayan D., Chief Medical Officer; Viren Sardana, respiratory physiologist, IGIB; and NAL scientists worked through the lockdown.
The system has been certified for safety and performance by NABL accredited agencies. The system has undergone stringent biomedical tests and beta clinical trials at the NAL Health Centre.
