FLC | NMCP anesthesiologists build ventilator to aid COVID-19 care

NMCP anesthesiologists build ventilator to aid COVID-19 care

May 7, 2020

A team of Naval Medical Center Portsmouth’s (NMCP) Anesthesiology Department staff members built a ventilator in an effort to help address shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team of NMCP staff members includes Lt. Jacob Cole and Lt. Cmdr. Scott Hughey, senior anesthesia residents, Lt. Gregory Booth, assistant director of the Anesthesiology Residency Program, and Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Christopher Rector, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit Two (EODESUTWO), who came together to construct a prototype in their efforts to fight the spread.

“The four of us came up with the idea to build and test a ventilator in response to what we’re seeing nationally and internationally, which is an increased ventilator demand. We had been tracking the COVID-19 pandemic’s need for ventilators worldwide,” Hughey said. “From a medical and resource management standpoint, we brainstormed ways that we could meet the need for ventilators to help patients. We went from just paper sketches and discussions to a full working prototype which was successfully tested in a command-approved animal research study in 28 days.”

The prototype had been tested on three specific models, including two high-fidelity lung simulators and in an animal trial using a swine model. During the command-approved animal trial, the ventilator was compared head-to-head with a conventional veterinary ventilator. It was found to provide non-inferior, if not superior, ventilation.

“There is a continuum of people involved in this process,” said Cmdr. Jason Longwell, department chair of Anesthesiology. “We have some of our junior staff, senior residents, and corpsmen who are making this process happen without any major industrial support. We have branched out to where now we are collaborating with NASA to help validate the engineering pieces.”

The collaboration, which started with four individuals, has expanded to include legal agreements with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for further development, testing and a pathway to market.

“This is a massively scalable, effective and inexpensive mechanical ventilation solution for this current pandemic that’s been shown to be reliable and safe,” Cole said. “No other ventilator on the market or being brought to the market in development is going to meet our price point, roughly $250. It’s a simple device, but despite that simplicity, it is absolutely effective in providing mechanical ventilation. The ventilator was also specifically tested under conditions simulating changes in lung function characteristic of the effects of COVID-19 with very favorable results.”

The ventilator is unique in that it’s not being manufactured by a major company. It was made from parts that can be bought at major retailers, as well as specialty parts that can be purchased online. The group designed and built the electronics control mechanism such that it can be ordered from a manufacturer and easily assembled into the breathing circuit system.

“This prototype allows us to make open source plans available to medical institutions who need extra ventilators,” Cole said. “It allows them to fabricate their own ventilator that is safe, reliable and effective to use as the demand rises.”

Additionally, the team foresees that for future pandemics, areas where the medical need isn’t being met by current technology, this project can fill that gap as well.

As the U.S. Navy's oldest, continuously-operating military hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally-acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, along with the area's 10 branch health and TRICARE Prime Clinics, provide care for the Hampton Roads area. The medical center also supports premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsman for future roles in healing and wellness.