Editing Ventilator (section)

== Open-source ventilators ==
{{Main|Open-source ventilator}}
An [[Open source|open-source]] ventilator is a disaster-situation ventilator made using a freely-licensed design, and ideally, freely-available components and parts. Designs, components, and parts may be anywhere from completely reverse-engineered to completely new creations, components may be [[Jury rigging|adaptations]] of various inexpensive existing products, and special hard-to-find and/or expensive parts may be 3D printed instead of sourced.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bender |first=Maddie |date=2020-03-17 |title=People Are Trying to Make DIY Ventilators to Meet Coronavirus Demand |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/people-are-trying-to-make-diy-ventilators-to-meet-coronavirus-demand/ |access-date=2020-03-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Toussaint |first=Kristin |date=2020-03-16 |title=These Good Samaritans with a 3D printer are saving lives by making new respirator valves for free |website=Fast Company |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90477940/these-good-samaritans-with-a-3d-printer-are-saving-lives-by-making-new-respirator-valves-for-free |access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref>

During the 2019–2020 [[COVID-19 pandemic]], various kinds of ventilators have been considered. Deaths caused by [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] have occurred when the most severely infected experience [[acute respiratory distress syndrome]], a widespread inflammation in the lungs that impairs the lungs' ability to absorb oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. These patients require a capable ventilator to continue breathing.

Among ventilators that might be brought into use for treating people with COVID-19, there have been many concerns. These include current availability,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/14/815675678/as-the-pandemic-spreads-will-there-be-enough-ventilators|title=As The Pandemic Spreads, Will There Be Enough Ventilators?|last=NEIGHMOND|first=PATTI|date=March 14, 2020|newspaper=[[NPR]]|access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nsmedicaldevices.com/analysis/coronavirus-ventilators-global-demand/|title=880,000 more ventilators needed to cope with coronavirus outbreak, says analyst|last=Parker|first=Thomas|date=March 25, 2020|website=NS Medical Devices|access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref> the challenge of making more and lower cost ventilators, effectiveness,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.physiciansweekly.com/mortality-rate-of-covid-19-patients-on-ventilators/|title=Mortality rate of COVID-19 patients on ventilators|date=March 30, 2020|website=Physician's Weekly|access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref> [[functional design]], safety,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aarc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Issue-Paper-Safe-Initiation-and-Management-of-Mechanical-Ventilation.pdf|title=SAFE INITIATION AND MANAGEMENT OF MECHANICAL VENTILATION|date=2016|website=American Association for Respiratory Care|access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecri.org/components/HDJournal/Pages/Mechanical-Ventilation-of-SARS-Patients-2003-SARS-Outbreak.aspx|title=Mechanical Ventilation of SARS Patients: Lessons from the 2003 SARS Outbreak|date=February 18, 2020|website=ECRI|access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref> portability,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/30/medtronic-is-sharing-its-portable-ventilator-design-specifications-and-code-for-free-to-all/|title=Medtronic is sharing its portable ventilator design specifications and code for free to all|last=Etherington|first=Darrell|date=March 30, 2020|website=TechCrunch|access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref> suitability for infants,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bemesonline.com/bird-v-i-p-standard-infant-and-pediatric-ventilator/|title=Bird V.I.P Standard Infant and Pediatric Ventilator|website=BemesOnline|access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref> assignment to treat other illnesses, and operator training.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Ventilator Safety|last=Williams|first=LM|date=January 30, 2020 |journal=StatPearls [Internet] |pmid = 30252300}}</ref> Deploying the best possible mix of ventilators can save the most lives.

Although not formally open-sourced, the Ventec V+ Pro ventilator was developed in April 2020 as a shared effort between [[Ventec Life Systems]] and [[General Motors]], to provide a rapid supply of 30,000 ventilators capable of treating COVID-19 patients.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-08/gm-secures-almost-500-million-u-s-contract-to-make-ventilators|title=GM Lands U.S. Ventilator Contract Worth Almost $500 Million|last=Welch|first=David|date=April 8, 2020|newspaper=[[Bloomberg News|Bloomberg]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbs.com/shows/60_minutes/video/2k2z4ed0BCIM83C6xBVtHgi9E3bEAwuL/on-the-line-outbreak-science-the-unseen-enemy/|title=60 Minutes|date=April 26, 2020|website=cbs.com|at=On the Line, Outbreak Science, The Unseen Enemy, S52 E30, At 7 minutes 10 seconds}}</ref>

A major worldwide design effort began during the [[COVID-19 pandemic|2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic]] after a [[Hackaday]] project was started,<ref>{{cite web |last=Coetzee |first=Gerrit |date=2020-03-12 |title=Ultimate Medical Hackathon: How Fast Can We Design And Deploy An Open Source Ventilator? |website=Hackaday |url=https://hackaday.com/2020/03/12/ultimate-medical-hackathon-how-fast-can-we-design-and-deploy-an-open-source-ventilator/ |access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=March 2020}} in order to respond to [[COVID-19 pandemic related shortages|expected ventilator shortages]] causing higher mortality rate among severe patients.

On March 20, 2020, the [[Health Service Executive|Irish Health Service]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandrasternlicht/2020/03/18/theres-a-shortage-of-ventilators-for-coronavirus-patients-so-this-international-group-invented-an-open-source-alternative-thats-being-tested-next-week/|title=There's A Shortage Of Ventilators For Coronavirus Patients, So This International Group Invented An Open Source Alternative That's Being Tested Next Week|last=Sternlicht|first=Alexandra|website=[[Forbes]]|language=en|access-date=2020-03-21}}</ref> began reviewing designs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/488637-irish-health-officials-to-review-3d-printed-ventilator|title=Irish health officials to review 3D-printed ventilator|last=Rodrigo|first=Chris Mills|date=2020-03-20|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|language=en|access-date=2020-03-21}}</ref> A prototype is being designed and tested in [[Colombia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://colombiareports.com/colombia-close-to-having-worlds-first-open-source-and-low-cost-ventilator-to-beat-covid-19/|title=Colombia close to having world's first open source and low-cost ventilator to 'beat Covid-19'|last=colombiareports|date=2020-03-21|website=Colombia News {{!}} Colombia Reports|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-21}}</ref>

The Polish company Urbicum reports successful testing<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ventilaid.org|title=VentilAid -open-source ventilator, that can be made anywhere locally|last=urbicum|date=2020-03-23|website=VentilAid|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-23}}</ref> of a 3D-printed open-source prototype device called VentilAid. The makers describe it as a last resort device when professional equipment is missing. The design is publicly available.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gitlab.com/Urbicum/ventilaid|title=GitLab - VentilAid / VentilAid|last=urbicum|date=2020-03-23|website=VentilAid|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-23}}</ref> The first Ventilaid prototype requires compressed air to run.

On March 21, 2020, the [[New England Complex Systems Institute]] (NECSI) began maintaining a strategic list of open source designs being worked on.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/@brucefenton/ventilator-project-update-march-21th-2020-bd2ef9d587e0|title=Ventilator Project Update: March 21th, 2020|last=Fenton|first=Bruce|date=March 21, 2020|website=Medium|access-date=March 27, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/PubInv/covid19-vent-list|title=A list projects to make emergency ventilators in response to COVID-19, focusing on free-libre open source|website=GitHub|access-date=March 27, 2020}}</ref> The NECSI project considers manufacturing capability, medical safety and need for treating patients in various conditions, speed dealing with legal and political issues, logistics and supply.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/@brucefenton/we-need-ventilators-we-need-you-to-help-build-them-30805e5ee2ea|title=We need Ventilators - We Need You to Help Get Them Built|last=Fenton|first=Bruce|date=March 14, 2020|website=Medium|access-date=March 27, 2020}}</ref> NECSI is staffed with scientists from Harvard and MIT and others who have an understanding of pandemics, medicine, systems, risk, and data collection.<ref name=":2" />

The [[University of Minnesota|University of Minnesota Bakken Medical Device Center]] initiated a collaboration with various companies to bring a ventilator alternative to the market that works as a one-armed [[robot]] and replaces the need for manual ventilation in emergency situations. The ''Coventor'' device was developed in a very short time and approved on April 15, 2020, by the [[Food and Drug Administration|FDA]], only 30 days after conception. The mechanical ventilator is designed for use by trained medical professionals in [[intensive care unit]]s and easy to operate. It has a compact design and is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and distribute. The cost is only about 4% of a normal ventilator. In addition, this device does not require pressurized oxygen or air supply, as is normally the case. A first series is manufactured by [[Boston Scientific]]. The plans are to be freely available online to the general public without royalties.<ref name=Coventor>{{cite web|title=FDA approves production of device designed at University of Minnesota to help COVID-19 patients breathe|website=startribune.com|publisher=Star Tribune|url=https://www.startribune.com/fda-approves-production-of-device-designed-at-university-of-minnesota-to-help-covid-19-patients-breathe/569673172/|last=Joe Carlson|date=2020-04-16|language=en}}</ref><ref name=Coventor2>{{cite web|title=FDA authorizes production of a new ventilator that costs up to 25x less than existing devices|website=techcrunch.com|publisher=Verizon Media|url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/15/fda-authorizes-production-of-a-new-ventilator-that-costs-up-to-25x-less-than-existing-devices/|last=Darrell Etherington|date=2020-04-16|language=en}}</ref>