Agha Khan University Karachi (AKU) is said to have been working on low-cost ventilators for ambulances.
Agha Khan University has announced that its working on portable low-cost ventilators to be able to retrofitted in ambulances.
According to details, AKU will soon launch clinical trials of the briefcase-sized ventilators which will be battery powered and will be installed in ambulances.
These ventilators will be used to provide critical support and assistance to patients whilst on their way to hospitals, significantly improving their survival chance.
The development comes as ventilators are currently limited to a handful of hospitals and are not provisioned in ambulances.
Dr Junaid Razzak – Director Center for Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies AKU, noted that a very large number of patients die due to lack of essential assistance when facing breathing issues.
This initiative strives to fill the gap in medical care during transportation procedure, he said.
Meanwhile, Saleem Sayan – Director Technology Innovation Support Center and Digital Health Resource Center AKU, has said that each and every moment is vital when a patient is facing breathing issues.
He highlighted that most people suffering from respiratory issues experience severe health deterioration while on their way to hospital and require more than just the typical ‘oxygen cylinder’.
These low-cost portable ventilators will be interlined to a mobile application and will allow direct control to doctors over ventilator’s settings virtually while the patient is en route to hospital, whereas paramedics will also be able to access real-time data and stats regarding patient’s health.
The feature is aimed at ensuring the provision of patient reaching the hospital in a stable condition.
Initial tests have revealed that these portable ventilators are capable of providing a regular supply of oxygen that is sufficient to stabilize a ‘high-fidelity patient mannequin’ imitating a real-world patient who is suffering from respiratory issues.
The interlinking of ventilator with mobile app will significantly improve and enhance diagnosis and treatment of critically ill patients, hence increasing their survival chance eventually.
World Health Organization (WHO) has maintained that one-third of patients from low-middle income countries require additional healthcare services such as ‘assisted ventilation’ while on their way to hospital.
Pakistan has a high ratio of respiratory illnesses such as with pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease being two of the top ten leading causes of death, said Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.
Furthermore, COVID-19 patients also require assisted ventilation.
If successful, these battery powered low-cost portable ventilators will prove to be a game changer in Pakistan and will greatly improve survivability ratio of patients.
