Mass Ventilation Can Save Lives In Emergency

The MassVentil mass ventilation system, which is being further developed by the experienced medical device manufacturer MEDICOR Zrt., will be available for use in disaster situations and camp conditions in the future. The medical device, which is also suitable for use in epidemic hospitals and disaster management, will be able to ventilate 25 or even more people at a time, even outside the walls of hospitals.

The most important aspect in the development of the prototype is patient safety, emphasizes Dr. Béla Gábor Szabó, a physician at the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care at the Jahn Ferenc South Pest Hospital, who is assisting in the development of the mass ventilation system as an expert. The anesthesiologist explains that, just as with the development of a new innovative drug, it can only be a long road and a period of testing before an idea becomes a safe medical device that can be used in practice.

The key benefits according to the doctor

From a medical point of view, Dr. Béla Gábor Szabó believes that the biggest advantage of the system, apart from the ability to treat several patients at once, is that although the operation of the system will be essentially the same for the operating staff as the use of single ventilators, it will still be able to provide oxygen independently of the hospital infrastructure. While a hospital building has a central gas supply, i.e. wall connections for anesthetic gas, compressed air or oxygen, the ventilation system here can be operated from cylinders or compressors. If necessary, it can be installed anywhere and can be adapted to the number of patients because of the modular system. Extreme operating situations, highly polluted environments, different temperature conditions are all considered in the design. Once the prototype is produced, technicians will be trained so that they can operate the system at a proficiency level in a live situation.

What’s the use of the system if COVID-19 is over?

As for the future deployment of the mass ventilation system, the expert points out that even after the pandemic, we can expect emergencies such as industrial accidents, factory accidents, explosions, natural disasters or acts of war worldwide that justify its development. MEDICOR’s experts are therefore working on the further development of a device that is capable of mass ventilation and can be deployed rapidly anywhere in the world. To this end, they have started to develop a mechanically robust device that will withstand shock, vibration, humidity and various temperature extremes.

What is a central intelligence?

The MassVentil mass ventilation system under development will increase the efficiency of the medical supply system by being able to collect individual patient parameters and aggregated patient statistics and status indicators in a central unit. This will allow the doctor to see all patients’ conditions and alarms on one monitor at the same time, without having to go to the beds one by one. An important aspect is that the device should be easier to use than today’s modern ventilators and should be able to provide adequate monitoring and feedback to the operating staff.

Filtering the exhaled air protects medical professionals

In the design of the prototype of the MassVentil mass ventilation system, particular attention is also paid to filtering the air exhaled by patients through the closed exhalation system and discharging it to the open air, so that no pathogens are released into the common airspace. In the event of an outbreak, the risk of infection by patients can be reduced and so the system can also significantly protect healthcare staff.

What if mass capacities are needed only once in a while?

The competitive advantage and strength of the mobile mass ventilation system is that, although there are many situations where many people need to be treated simultaneously in a very short time, there is no country in the world that would be worth maintaining an appropriate hospital structure for those rare situations. The mobile container version, however, can be easily transported and used in various emergency situations, especially in developing countries or rural areas with less developed infrastructure,” adds Dr. Gábor Szabó.

A modular system to be installed anywhere

The equipment developed by the experts of MEDICOR Zrt. will therefore not be tied to a hospital, and under certain circumstances it can be set up in the middle of the Pilis Mountains or in Africa. In the future, it can also expand the disaster management’s toolkit and provide solutions to problems for which currently there is no well-functioning solution in the world.