3D printed valves with snorkeling masks for CPAP

thingiverse

During the COVID-19 outbreak, thousands of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome generated an overwhelming demand for intensive care admission and invasive mechanical ventilation procedures (IMVs). The crisis highlighted a shortage of resources needed to combat the pandemic. In this study, additive manufacturing technology was leveraged to quickly produce valves that could be used in conjunction with full-face snorkeling masks as part of medical devices for continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP), a non-invasive ventilation procedure. A total of 2,200 valves were fabricated and deployed to treat patients infected with the COVID-19 virus who exhibited symptoms of hypoxia and respiratory distress. Approximately 30-40% of these patients saw their blood oxygen saturation levels improve to over 93%, allowing them to avoid or postpone IMV and ICU admissions. This resulted in a reduction of 3 to 4 weeks in patient intubation time, ultimately enhancing the availability of ICU beds in hospitals facing potential shortages during the pandemic. The study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing additive manufactured valves with snorkel facial masks to support medical devices for non-invasive ventilation procedures.