Spiro Wave

Hospitals in rural America and developing countries have limited access to ventilators and are particularly vulnerable in the face of COVID-19. Spiro Wave is a streamlined, high fidelity ventilation device that automates a manual resuscitator while increasing its functionality and quality control. It works with standard medical components readily available in most hospitals and provides the essential ventilation functions required, using fewer parts and available materials, making it a viable, rapidly-manufacturable, and low-cost option for hospitals worldwide. The simple design allows for intuitive operation and efficient maintenance, and at $5,000 per unit, it costs a fraction of that of a traditional ICU ventilator, making it an ideal and accessible solution to extend ventilation resources in healthcare systems. If scaled globally, access to this device in areas that currently have few or no ventilators has the potential to save an untold number of lives in the face of this global pandemic.

Hospitals in rural America and developing countries have limited access to ventilators and are particularly vulnerable in the face of the COVID-19. This represents 85% of the global population. Across 41 African countries, there are only 2,000 ventilators available to serve the population. In Nigeria alone, the  ratio of ventilators to citizens is 1 per 1.2 million people. In South Sudan, there are 4 ventilators to serve 11 million people. 10 countries do not have a single ventilator available in their healthcare systems. 

A single ICU ventilator can cost up to $50,000 USD, making these life-saving devices unaccessible in many areas. Even as numbers in major U.S. cities and early-hit countries begin to decline, the number of new cases and death toll around the world and in other regions continues to rise and access to affordable ventilation devices to be able to treat patients in need continues to be of urgent importance. 

The Spiro Wave, inspired by the MIT E-Vent, is designed to automate a manual resuscitator, expanding functionality and increasing quality control. It has received Emergency Use Authorization for use during the COVID-19 public health emergency under the USFDA. Spiro Wave is not meant to replace conventional ventilators, but provides ventilator functionality in emergency situations when no other options are available. Spiro Wave allows hospitals to expand their capacity to care for patients needing invasive mechanical ventilation and reallocate conventional ventilators for patients with more sophisticated needs. It is compatible with existing manual resuscitators, and pressure sensors and alarm system allow clinicians to monitor and adjust key respiratory and ventilation parameters including tidal volume, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), respiratory rate (BPMs), I/E ratio and airway pressure.

The Spiro Wave device has the potential to provide life-saving support to patients requiring invasive ventilation, and as we have seen in the past few months, this disease affects populations across the globe and socio-economic spectrum. Though due to inequalities in healthcare systems and access to resources, we see the particular impact it could have in rural areas and developing countries, which currently have less access to this type of necessary ventilation equipment. We have also worked closely with clinical advisors throughout the R&D process to ensure that the device provides viable functionality in a healthcare environment and works effectively within established clinical protocols. 

As stated in the challenge description, as we become more vulnerable to future pandemics, it’s critical to be prepared and ensure that we equip our healthcare systems with the resources required to respond.

During this crisis, it has become clear that many hospitals lacked adequate ventilators because the complex supply chains associated with their production makes them too expensive and time-consuming to be readily available and accessible in many areas. Spiro Wave is able to avoid these hurdles and serve as an important solution in both continuing to treat patients and in fortifying stockpiles to prepare for future outbreaks.