The HEV Ventilator

TL;DR

The HEV ventilator is a low-cost, versatile device designed for both hospital and remote use, featuring multiple modes, remote monitoring, and adaptable hardware to meet global respiratory needs during and beyond COVID-19.

Contribution

This paper introduces the HEV ventilator, a novel low-cost, adaptable ventilator with remote capabilities and multiple ventilation modes, suitable for diverse settings worldwide.

Findings

Demonstrated effective performance in various ventilation modes.

Supported remote training and data logging functionalities.

Designed for use in regions with unreliable compressed air supplies.

Abstract

HEV is a low-cost, versatile, high-quality ventilator, which has been designed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ventilator is intended to be used both in and out of hospital intensive care units, and for both invasive and non-invasive ventilation. The hardware can be complemented with an external turbine for use in regions where compressed air supplies are not reliably available. The standard modes provided include PC-A/C(Pressure Assist Control),PC-A/C-PRVC(Pressure Regulated Volume Control), PC-PSV (Pressure Support Ventilation) and CPAP (Continuous Positive airway pressure). HEV is designed to support remote training and post market surveillance via a web interface and data logging to complement the standard touch screen operation, making it suitable for a wide range of geographical deployment. The HEV design places emphasis on the quality of the pressure curves and the reactivity of the trigger, delivering a global performance which will be applicable to ventilator needs beyond theCOVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the conceptual design and presents the prototype units together with their performance evaluation.