A third-year Loughborough University student has helped develop a ventilation product for coronavirus patients in intensive care.
Dominic Leatherland, of the School of Design and Creative Arts, says the HCH-40 ‘Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)’ hood has the potential to “be a lifesaving product”.
The Product Design and Technology student, originally from Northampton, completed an industrial placement at Avon Protection, a leading manufacturer of respiratory and ballistic protection, and it was here the product was born.
The company was approached by the University College London (UCL) and asked to create a hood that would help with the shortage of ventilators and medical equipment in hospitals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the struggle to keep up with the demand for oxygen.
Typically, patients have oxygen therapy delivered by a nose cup mask – a method that is said to waste large quantities of oxygen – and patients with severe symptoms are induced into an artificial coma and intubated in which a ventilator takes over the patients breathing. This is highly effective but is only used as a last resort due to its complex nature and invasiveness on the patient.
Oxygen in a Bag
Oxygen delivery
Beware product called NutriO2
