SmithVent
A simplified, cost-effective, rapidly manufacturable pneumatic design tailored to COVID-19 patients
SmithVent is a team of Smith College engineering alumni and friends. We collaborated on a simplified, cost-effective, rapidly manufacturable pneumatic design tailored to COVID-19 patient needs and designed for ease of use by healthcare workers. The SmithVent design allows gentle air delivery to the patient, proning if necessary, and liberation from ventilation, with capability for both volume control and pressure support modes. Our manufacturing strategy utilizes mainly readily-available, off-the-shelf components, thereby reducing complex machining and supporting compatibility with current medical equipment. The enclosure design is user-friendly and easy to clean. The sophisticated control system ensures flexible inputs, patient data monitoring, and various levels of alarms. We packaged our materials to enable others to recreate, further develop, and/or improve the SmithVent design.