New NJACTS Publication

Please read Dr. Cohen’s article in PLoS One titled, “PVP1-The People’s Ventilator Project: A fully open, low-cost, pressure-controlled ventilator research platform compatible with adult and pediatric uses.“

The first mechanical ventilators date back to more than 150 years ago. In the time since, they have undergone considerable design modifications; including, crucially, the transition from pure mechanical devices to the modern electronic machines in use today. Despite their commercial availability, very few platforms have been made open and fully transparent. Such a platform will enable the production of high-quality devices in virtually any laboratory, will further efforts in teaching and research/development, and may serve as development platform for a future medical tool.

In addition, over the past years, the global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a low-cost, rapidly-deployable ventilator solution for the current and future pandemics. While safe and robust ventilation technology exists in the commercial sector, there exist a small number of suppliers who have been unable to meet the extreme demands for ventilators during a pandemic. Moreover, the specialized and proprietary equipment developed by medical device manufacturers can be prohibitively expensive and inaccessible in low-resource areas. Ventilation as a technology is needed globally beyond pandemics for applications spanning neonatal intensive care, surgical anaesthesia, life support, and general respiratory treatments. To read the full article.