We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




3D-Printed Connectors Could Alleviate Ventilator Shortage

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 20 Apr 2020
Print article
Image: The Materialise NIP Connector facilitates respiratory care (Photo courtesy of Materialise)
Image: The Materialise NIP Connector facilitates respiratory care (Photo courtesy of Materialise)
A three dimensional (3D)-printed solution provides adjustable positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) oxygen delivery without the use of a ventilator.

The Materialise (Leuven, Belgium) NIP Connector is a 3D-printed section that holds together three standard medical devices, namely a non-invasive mask, a filter, and a PEEP valve. Once assembled, oxygen is delivered to the patient mask through a one-way inhalation valve, which can also be supplemented with ambient air. The filter is used to minimize aerial viral contamination, and the adjustable PEEP valve providing the positive pressure needed to introduce the oxygen into the patient’s lungs.

“The aim is to avoid invasive treatments. This new solution is giving positive pressure and oxygen, so it is not a big burden on the patient. You can avoid more invasive treatments and save on ventilator capacity which you can use on other patients,” said Professor Wilfried De Backer, MD, director of the functional respiratory imaging company FLUIDDA (Kontich, Belgium), with whom Materialise partnered on the development. “If we can give positive pressure, and we keep the situation stable, the patient stable, we can avoid more invasive steps.”

“In most clinical settings today, physicians would switch from a pure oxygen mask to a ventilator. The question is when do we start with the mask? I think it is when the patient is getting worse and there is a higher need for oxygen,” concluded Professor De Backer. “This is the ideal time to switch from a pure oxygen mask to a mask that is also delivering this positive pressure in the airways, pushing back the fluids in the lung and allowing for a better uptake of oxygen. Because the mask fits well, meaning without a leak, and there is a filter added to the solution, there is not as much of a risk in spreading the virus in the environment.”

Because the solution uses 3D printing, it can be manufactured locally and can therefore be brought to hospitals quickly. This could become even more crucial as travel and transport become more difficult. The NIP Connector can be printed at any Materialise-certified facility, or at a hospital that can do so in a reliable manner. The smaller production series sizes enabled by 3D printing can also allow designs to be customized to fit all types of NIV masks.


Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
Gold Member
Disposable Protective Suit For Medical Use
Disposable Protective Suit For Medical Use
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Wireless Handheld Ultrasound System
TE Air

Print article

Channels

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: NTT and Olympus have begun the world\'s first joint demonstration experiment of a cloud endoscopy system (Photo courtesy of Olympus)

Cloud Endoscopy System Enables Real-Time Image Processing on the Cloud

Endoscopes, which are flexible tubes inserted into the body's natural openings for internal examination and biopsy collection, are becoming increasingly vital in medical diagnostics. Their minimal invasiveness... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.