South Carolina doctor develops device to fight ventilator shortage due to COVID-19
With the number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases in South Carolina projected to reach 8,000 by May, and the state’s hospitals preparing for a massive surge in patients, ventilators have become precious resources.
A new device, developed by Prisma Health, might help provide some much-needed relief.
The healthcare organization unveiled its “VESper” device Sunday, a Y-shaped splitter device that attaches to a ventilator to help support up to four patients at once.
Ventilators are used to help patients who cannot breath by pumping oxygen into their lungs. Health officials across the county expect to see a shortage of the devices in the coming weeks and months, a grave concern as one of the main symptoms of the novel coronavirus is trouble breathing.
The “VESper” device has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the face of the crisis and can be made using a 3-D printer, Prisma officials said in a press conference Wednesday. The organization also plans to partner with companies to print more devices and distribute them.
The idea for the device originated with a emergency room physician in Greenville, Prisma officials said. Dr. Sarah Farris came up with the concept and partnered with her husband, a software engineer, to write the code for the device on a 3-D printer. After consulting with a pulmonologist, they turned to experts at the University of South Carolina and Clemson University to print prototypes.
From there, Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, Prisma Health Upstate’s Chief Academic Officer, said the device was submitted to the FDA this past Friday night for emergency approval, granted only when no comparable or satisfactory alternative options are available in a public health crisis. As a result, the approval will only be in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We realized we had an opportunity to impact patient outcomes all over the country by developing a device that would have regulatory oversight,” Jenkins said. “Today, I reached out to one of our foundations, the Sargent Foundation, and they have given us a generous donation to help print the first orders for those who do not have 3-D printer capacity. Anyone can go to our website and download the code and print this according to the specifications. We want to get this out there.”
According to the Post and Courier, the Department of Health and Environmental Control has reported that South Carolina has 1,260 ventilators in its hospitals. Prisma Health officials said Thursday that they currently have enough ventilators for its needs and only plan to distribute the “VESper” to areas in critical situations.
“It is important to note that this is only for those areas that are in the greatest need and areas with the potential to exceed their ventilator capacity due to the patients affected by COVID-19. Prisma Health is clearly not mass-producing these devices, although it is making a small quantity as we set up others for mass production in order to meet the need for those who are not able to produce using their own 3-D printers,” said Peter Tilkemeier, the chair of Prisma Health-Upstate’s department of medicine.
In places like New York and Italy, where the coronavirus epidemic has hit hardest, ventilator shortages are a major concern. Manufacturers are racing to produce more, as governments and hospitals request the devices in large numbers. New York governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that his state will use an experimental procedure to split the ventilator between two patients, much like Prisma Health’s new device would do.
In a press release, Prisma said it used simulations with medical manikins to test the “VESper” device and that it “was able to deliver the appropriate breathing parameters without difficulty.”
More than 400 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in South Carolina, and seven deaths have been announced by state health officials.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 7:51 PM.
