The impending shortage of ventilators for U.S. hospitals is likely already a crisis, but will become even more dire as the number of patients with COVID-19 that are suffering from severe symptoms and require hospitalization grows. That’s why a simple piece of hardware newly approved by the FDA for emergency use – and available free via source code and 3D-printing for hospitals – might be a key ingredient in helping minimize the strain on frontline response efforts.
The Prisma Health VESper is a deceptively simple-looking three-way connector that expands use of one ventilator to treat up to four patients simultaneously. The device is made for use with ventilators that comply to existing ISO standard ventilator hardware and tubing, and allows use of filtering equipment to block any possible transmission of viruses and bacteria.
VESper works in device pairs, with one attached to the intake of the ventilator, and another attached to the return. They can also be stacked to allow for treatment of up to four patients at once – provided that the patients require the same clinical treatment in terms of oxygenation, including the oxygen mix as w ..
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