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the ventilator
Should LEO be the
Global Crisis Ventilator?
After we had realized the urgent need for a global crisis ventilator, we compiled a requirements spec sheet and went on the hunt for candidates. But we could not find any. All ventilators with fitting performance specs were far too expensive and usually also didn't have the versatility and robustness that's helpful for this application. That's why we tailored LEO specifically for this task.
So LEO should be a great candidate for the job as Global Crisis Ventilator, but the really important point is that every minute lives are lost because the world doesn't have enough ventilators. That is the tragedy we need to get solved. With the best ventilator available for the job. LEO or another one.
Concept
LEO is designed for use as emergency stockpile ventilator for rich countries, as daily use ventilator for hospitals in emerging countries, and for flexible use in developing countries and crisis situations. The required performance capabilities and even additional desirable features are surprisingly similar. So we condensed them into one package and then optimized it for cost effectiveness, versatility, ease of use, and robustness.
Safety
Ventilators are class 2 medical devices and undergo intensive testing before they can be approved by the FDA or equivalent local agencies. It's clear that every global crisis ventilator will have to comply with applicable standards, even if not all countries require them.
Versatility
LEO's most obvious feature is that it's enclosure is a protective case, comparable to those produced by Pelican, SKB and other companies. Leo does not come in a case, it's its own case. That has advantages for cost, simplicity, size and robustness.
The closed case is very robust, waterproof, dustproof, and can be stacked 9 units high.
This way, a US standard palette can be loaded with 81 LEOs and is still lower than the 1.8m or 6 feet height limit of many transport companies. That makes storage and deployment in a crisis cheap and efficient.
For emergency use, LEO can sit on the ground. It can also be placed on a desk or a side table, or be clipped onto a mobile cart. This works in one simple motion, whether the ventilator is open or closed. The cart folds or unfolds in seconds.
Designed
for
Mass
Production
LEO requires only eight custom parts. All other parts from touchscreen and main switch to valves and sensors are off-the-shelf components. For each component there are several alternates from different manufacturers available to minimize the risk of dependencies and supply shortages.
All custom parts are injection molded enclosure parts. Their shapes have been optimized for this cheap mass production process, so that all but one can be produced in simple two-part molds. The enclosure shells integrate brackets, standoffs, and cutouts for easy and fast installation of all internal components.
User
Interface
LEO's user interface consists of a 10" touch screen and a 13" screen in the case lid. Those screens are surprisingly cheap and more cost effective than conventional switches and dials.
The two-screen-setups allows the user to see all values and curves on the upper screen while the touch screen below is used to display and change settings or call up other information.
It also makes it easy to provide context specific information and help and to integrate safeguards against operating error. These features are especially helpful for medical personnel that do not routinely operate a ventilator or are new to a specific model, something that happens frequently is crisis situations.
Modular
Gas Handling
Unit
LEO is designed for a wide range of non-invasive and invasive ventilation modes covering treatment options from early intervention to ICU use. The gas handling unit is built up from 3 modules that can be arranged in 5 configurations. This allows for perfect adaption to the locally available infrastructure.
In LEO's for some regions or scenarios for example, pressure and flow control systems for pressurized medical air would not see any use. But it's a great feature for a crisis ventilator in most modern hospitals. So we made it an optional module that is installed in ventilators for applications where it makes sense, but does not uselessly cost money in units where it doesn't.
Power
Sources
Each battery pack can power the ventilator for up to 7 hours. The battery packs are automatically charged when LEO is connected to AC power. They also provide back-up power in case of a power failure. The batteries are hot-swappable, meaning that a battery can be taken out and replaced within seconds while the ventilator is running off the remaining battery or one of the other power sources.
LEOs can be powered by 100 to 240 volt ac line power, power tool battery packs or an auxiliary power inlet. Auxiliary power can come from a car battery for example.
This makes the ventilator as versatile and adaptable as possible for deployment in all regions and situations.
The battery compartment is designed with exchangeable battery interfaces and sized to accommodate batteries from many different manufacturers, with different capacities and voltages. This way it's easy to set up for whatever battery type should be used. The packs here are just some examples.
When the already compact LEOs are stored in the vital ventilator stockpile or waiting to serve in emergencies, the ventilator cases can be stacked up safely for years while the much smaller batteries are stored separately and charged every few months to stay in perfect, fully charged condition.
Tour de LEO
(Excerpt from our video "The case for a Global Crisis Ventilator")
Gallery
User interface
