Concept design of the physical structure for ICU ventilators for COVID-19 pandemic

A new disease known as COVID-19 caused by the SARS CoV2 virus has engulfed the entire world and led to a global pandemic situation. Till December 9, 2020, the disease has infected 68 million people worldwide and more than 1.56 million people have been killed. The origin of the COVID-19 disease has been traced back to the bats, but the intermediary contact is unknown. The disease spreads by respiratory droplets and contaminated surfaces. In most cases, the virus shows mild symptoms such as fever, fatigue, dyspnea, cough, etc. which may become severe if appropriate precautions are not adhered to. For people with comorbidities (usually elderly) the disease may turn deadly and cause pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and multi-organ failure, thereby affecting a person's ability to perform normal breathing which may put them on ventilator support. The virus causes Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) that can lead to multi-organ failure in the most severe form. A patient suffering from ARDS must be put on a mechanical ventilator. These assistive devices help patients with respiratory disorders perform normal breathing. Presently nearly sixty thousand COVID-19 patients are in critical condition worldwide, fighting for survival requiring ventilator support. In India, the number stands close to eight thousand such individuals especially when the second wave of COVID-19 is expected to spread globally with initial signs arising from European and Middle East countries. With a large number of patients requiring ventilators, it puts a huge strain on the already weak health infrastructure of the developing countries. This is where some manufacturing and automobile companies have stepped in to help hospitals by developing ventilators at a faster rate and lower costs without comprising on the quality with the support of different government initiatives. This paper aims to study the basic requirements to be considered while designing the physical structure of an elementary level ICU ventilator for the hospital environment. The challenges related to research in electronic wiring of a mechanical ventilator, the overall structural design, and surrounding base could be appropriately done for different loads by simulating the conditions on tools like ANSYS software with accurate dimensions which could improve their future designs. © 2021 The Authors