Heroic Moms Are Donating Breast Pumps For Ventilator Use For COVID-19 Patients

As the Coronavirus infected patients count in the US climbs to an all time high, a severe shortage of ventilators is being reported. To tackle this, people are coming up with ways to make ventilators out of easily available materials. A team of engineers in Maryland may have found such an innovative solution that makes use of breast pumps for COVID-19 patients.

Electric breast pumps are used by mothers to suction breast milk into a container. The pump is run by a motor with adjustable speeds. To think of it, the mechanism is the exact opposite to that of a ventilator that pumps out the oxygen from the tank and into a person¡¯s lungs through nose or mouth.

L-R: Alex Scott, Brandi Gerstner, and Rachel LaBatt; not pictured: Grant Gerstner (Image: Yahoo Lifestyle)

The suction of the breast pump then had to be reversed to deliver Oxygen to the patient, in order to use it as a ventilator. The engineering team - Brandi and Grant Gerstner, Rachel LaBatt and Alex Scott decided to reverse two valves on the breast pump to achieve this.

This simple tweak is able to convert the negative-pressure (one that draws out fluid) in a breast pump into a positive pressure that blows out air. ¡°We can bypass the circuit board of the breast pump to control the exhale-to-inhale ratio, the volume of air and the respiratory rate,¡± LaBatt, 24, was quoted as saying in a report. ¡°We basically want the device to listen to our circuit board.¡±

The team is now seeking approval for the design from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Back in March, FDA in the US had invoked an Emergency Use Authorization to allow ¡°positive pressure breathing devices modified for use as ventilators.¡± By reversing the pressure of breast pumps, the team is aiming to create such a product in an affordable manner. Also, the fact that breast pumps are already approved by the FDA for use should help the device clear approvals too.'

As per the report, the team is able to create a $300 (~Rs 22,800) prototype of the ventilator within four hours using the electric breast pumps. The team is receiving these funds through its Facebook donation page - Rapidly Deployable Breast Pump Ventilator to Combat Coronavirus.

The team is using donated breast pumps to bring the cost of their innovation down significantly, recounting personal accounts of mothers across America who're donating their breast pumps. ¡°A mother recently told me that she is ¡®lucky to help millions in crisis¡¯ and that made me tear up,¡± one of the engineers on the team was quoted as saying. ¡°These women spent so many long hours with their pumps, and now are helping. Mothers are incredible.¡±

Such simple alterations to existing devices are being used to come up with ventilators across the world. A team of five girls from Afghanistan recently came up with a ventilator prototype made out of used Toyota parts. You can read all about it here.