Miniature transport respirator performance evaluation for ventilatory support

Abstract. In the face of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), in hospital and emergency units, there is low availability of mechanical respirator for patients in need of this support, greatly improving the survival rate. In these situations, there is a need for simpler equipment, easy access, low cost, and fast manufacturing. In this study, a 3D prototype transport respirator was developed using as a model the Takaoka 600 Mini Respirator, national technology from the 1950s. The influence of adjustable parameters of the respirator was evaluated to understand it is functioning: maximum and minimum lung pressure; respirator intake pressure; respiratory rate; inspiratory and expiratory time according to the sensitivity of the mini respirator; and pressure and flow of O2 line intake. The increase in sensitivity led to an increase in maximum and minimum pulmonary pressure, decreased inspiratory and expiratory time, with margins of 1/1, 1/2, 1/3 inspiratory/expiratory time ratio (I/E ratio). The intake flow of O2 varied proportionally with the pressure of air intake into the respirator, with its increase leading to an increase in respiratory rate, without major influences on lung pressure and the I/E ratio. The O2 line intake pressure without major influences on lung pressure, showing and I/E ratio >1 in values below 3.5 kPa x 100. In conclusion, it was possible to obtain a pulmonary ventilator-dependent only on positive O2 flow, compact and effective for patient transport, and in cases of emergencies with control of maximum pressure and respiratory rate offered to the patient. Among the parameters evaluated for this respirator, an line pressure of O2 from 3.5 kPa x 100, sensitivity between 3 and 5, a flow of 5 to 15 L/min is recommended.

A review on fibrous scaffolds in cardiovascular tissue engineering

It has been long and widely known that cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are among the leading causes of the death worldwide. Thecurrent treatments have come a long way to reduce mortality and improve life quality of those affected, but they still presentdrawbacks and limitations, and that is why cardiovascular tissue engineering is thought to be the great promise for the future.Fibrous scaffolds have been a trendy topic in tissue engineering (TE) for years now, and several techniques have been developed andoptimized to produce fibers of various biomaterials – a microstructure that is particularly important for valvular and vascular tissuesdue to their unique composition and organization. This review aims to explain the rationale behind the use of fibrous scaffolds incardiovascular TE, the main biomaterials and techniques that have been employed to produce such scaffolds and how close they areto clinical applications...