The problems posed by COVID-19 are varied, but information shows that the main issues are (1)

• COVID-19 is incredibly infectious, due to a 5-day incubation period with pre-symptomatic transmission.
• 15-20% of infected people require hospitalization for respiratory problems.
• Patients can be hospitalized for weeks. During this time, the availability of respiratory support and ventilators are required.
• Healthcare systems may be overwhelmed by the requirement for ventilators, thus leading to shortages.
• This could be a significant issue in developing regions, with less robust healthcare systems.

We hope that our solutions will never be required and never be used in practice, however if they are needed, we would like to have a range of prototyped, tested and medically validated solutions ready for emergency use globally.

This project is Open source in nature, with solutions developed for use worldwide and open from contributions from others.

•       Open source in nature so iterative and open for community involvement
•       Development of a Field Emergency Ventilator (FEV) to support medical practitioners
•       The use of basic components, safe design is preferable to no intervention at all
•       Supplies and materials will be locally sourced where available
•       The design(s) will be validated; validation will be documented and transparency will be made available to local health services
•       Dissemination via Internet (www.opensourceventilator.ie) and GitLab.

• Regulatory bodies may waive clearance or reduce regulatory barriers for emergency interventions.
• Traditional certified medical components and supplies used in ventilators will be in short supply.
• Logistics will be impaired/disrupted. Non-medical supplies, manufacturing systems and components will be readily available globally.

The content of Open Source Ventilator's website is for information only, not advice or guarantee of outcome.This ventilator may not be suitable for all applications and must be used under medical advice & guidance.

We are still getting organized. Please be patient.

We have a core team of 20+ Engineers, Designer and Medical Practitioners working on developing solutions to this problem. 

All input is appreciated so your contributions are welcomed in our Slack channel (see buttons below for links to Slack).

We will be releasing project goals, functional groups and structured plans ASAP.

We are close to prototyping a number of additional solutions. The leading designs can be found here.

We encourage you to dig into the designs, prototype, iteration and feedback your results and insight to everyone on slack. 

(1) The Center for Safety, Simulation and Advanced Learning Technologies, University of Florida Health