'Frugal innovation' yields low-cost CPAP breathing device

The device provides CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), a form of oxygen therapy called that has proved effective in helping patients struggling to breathe because of moderate to severe covid.

In a paper published in the Frontiers in Medical Technology, the team said a pilot evaluation involving 10 healthy volunteers has shown that it “...can be used safely without inducing hypoxia [low levels of oxygen in tissues] or hypercapnia [build-up of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream] and that its use was well tolerated by users, with no adverse events reported”.

The researchers are said to have used the principals of ‘frugal innovation’ to design and develop the breathing aid, to ensure the device remains simple while being robust and able to meet clinical demands in poorer-resourced health settings.

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A key innovation was to generate the required air flow using a simple electric fan to overcome the lack of access to high-pressure air and oxygen supplies.

The device was developed by a team of engineers, scientists and doctors from Leeds University, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Medical Aid International and the Mengo Hospital in Uganda.