Hyderabad engineers help T govt develop low-cost ventilator for COVID-19 patients

By Newsmeter Network
Published on : 20 April 2020 10:48 PM IST

Hyderabad engineers help T govt develop low-cost ventilator for COVID-19 patients

Hyderabad: Twenty engineers from various companies in the city, along with T-Works, have developed a low-cost ventilator for COVID-19 patients in only 31 days. T-Works, a Telangana government's initiative, had joined hands with a few companies to develop the ventilator amid the lockdown.

The engineers, supported by the government, were concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of health infrastructure in the state. ā€œWe exchanged news about the pandemic in our WhatsApp groups. We were especially concerned about the plight in Italy which faced a massive shortage of ventilators. We didn't want the same to happen to us which is why we thought of developing the device,ā€ said Madhav Tenneti, one of the engineers.

Hyderabad engineers help T govt develop low-cost ventilator for COVID-19 patients

According to T-Works CEO Sujai Karampuri, Telangana’s hospitals have around 1,000 ventilators in total. ā€œOf these, many may not be in a working condition. So, we felt that it was important to locally produce ventilators at a reasonable cost so that we are ready for any eventualities.ā€

The low-cost ventilator was made keeping two things in mind: affordability and local production in the absence of imports. Usually, high-end medical ventilators cost between Rs. 6 to 20 lakhs. ā€œHowever, this low-cost ventilator will be priced at around Rs 60,000 to 80,000,ā€ Mr Karampuri said.

The T-Works head further said, ā€œOnly 10 per cent of COVID-19 patients who are in a critical condition may need a ventilator. In this case, we have considered the various parameters necessary for a ventilator in consultation with doctors. These include oxygen concentration, tidal volume, and breath pressure control, among many others.ā€

Hyderabad engineers help T govt develop low-cost ventilator for COVID-19 patients

Considering the urgency of the situation, the team of engineers has been burning the midnight oil for the past 31 days to develop the device. T-works had collaborated with IIT-Hyderabad, Mouser and GE Healthcare, Spectrochem Instruments, Altheon, Trishula, Entesla, Conservation and Signum Techniks, Honeywell, Qualcomm, and others for the project.

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