Thanks to a new Polish invention, a doctor can monitor many patients from one place and remotely track data coming from multiple ventilators. The equipment has been designed with a view to coping with acute pneumonia caused by COVID-19 infections and will be offered to hospitals at no charge.
Known as Repisafe, it is equipped with an innovative telemetric system which allows for a ventilator to be operated remotely, with the ventilator connecting with the hospital’s network which can be accessed via tablet or smartphone.
According to one of its designers, Leszek Kowalik, it enables doctors to save time and limits physical contact with patients, thereby reducing the risk of infection. He also assured that there is no danger of patients’ data leaking out as long as hospitals encrypt the data and secure their network.
The equipment ventilates the patient and can be adjusted to a patient’s age, a critical issue for ensuring that the right amount of air is pumped into a patient’s lungs.
A Polish team has been working on the design of the equipment since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The equipment is a prototype requiring further testing but should begin to be made available to hospitals in August of this year.
The scientists from the Silesian Polytechnic have been aided by researchers from the Medical University of Białystok, Warsaw Medical University, Katowice School of Technology, and the Łazarski University in Warsaw.
“We are all enthusiasts coming from different branches of science who have chosen to join forces. We work with medical schools and private companies such as Enego and Niedzwiedz-Lock, says Kowalik.
“This project isn’t commercial. We plan to produce a number of these devices and to offer them for free to hospitals to aid in the fight against the epidemic,” he added.
