Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Coronavirus: Nasa develops ventilator tailored for Covid-19 patients in just 37 days

'We know how to land on the moon and Mars, but building a medical device is new'

Colin Drury
Saturday 25 April 2020 16:26 BST
Comments
Ventilator, called VITAL, is seen during a Nasa presentation at the White House
Ventilator, called VITAL, is seen during a Nasa presentation at the White House (EPA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Engineers at NASA have developed a ventilator specifically designed to help coronavirus patients.

The VITAL system – Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally – was created in just 37 days, the space agency says.

Now, it has already passed critical medical tests and looks set to be fast-tracked for approval early next week

“We’re rocket scientists and engineers, we know how to land on the moon and Mars,” said Leon Alkalai, a technical fellow at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

“But building a medical device is new. We were humbled by that challenge to do something we’ve never done before for a good cause.”

The prototype, which was shown to Donald Trump on Friday, works like traditional ventilators where sedated patients rely on an oxygen tube to help them breathe.

But it is tailored to be more flexible and easier to maintain so it can be used more effectively in the field hospitals currently being set up in conference centres and hotels across the world.

Because it has a life span of just three to four months – where traditional ventilators generally last several years – it is cheaper and quicker to build, NASA says.

Bill Gates says we could see early results from coronavirus vaccine trials this summer

“It goes against our culture to do something quickly in a domain where we’re not experts,” added Dr Alkalai. “But it fits with the JPL mantra: ‘Dare Mighty Things’.”

Now, the California Institute of Technology is in the process of finding manufacturers to make the machine on scale after those early tests proved positive.

“We were very pleased with the results in our high-fidelity human simulation lab,” said Dr Matthew Levin who led that testing at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York.

“The Nasa prototype performed as expected under a wide variety of simulated patient conditions. The team feels confident that the VITAL ventilator will be able to safely ventilate patients suffering from Covid-19 both here in the United States and throughout the world.”

Speaking after those positive results were announced, Michelle Easter, a mechatronics engineer with Nasa, called the device a “crazy” project.

“We have the potential to save human lives, people that we might know, our neighbours, our families, and that intensity is amazing,” she said. “It’s amazing, and as stressful as it’s been for everybody in the last couple of weeks, not one of us can stop.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in