New Delhi, Jun 14 (IANS): Aimed at saving lives in low resource areas and during transit, the nation's first device has been developed as a substitute for the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine which functions even without electricity.

Named 'Jivan Vayu' by its developer, the Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar, the device is also adapted to both kinds of oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals.

The provisions available in the device are not present in the existing CPAP machines, said the Ministry of Education.

The CPAP is a treatment method for patients having breathing problems during sleep called sleep apnea. The machine uses mild air pressure to keep the airways open for easy breathing. It is also used to treat infants whose lungs have not fully developed. The machine blows air into the baby's nose to help inflate his or her lungs.

The treatment is all the more necessary during early stages of the Covid-19 infection. It reduces lung damage and allows patients to recover from the inflammatory effects.

Fulfilling all the medically required parameters, this leak-proof, low-cost CPAP delivery system, "Jivan Vayu' is designed for a 22mm CPAP closed circuit tube.

It can be customized as per the size of the tube. Since it can run during power failures, this can be used to safely transport a patient.

"This was the need of the hour during the present Covid pandemic when power supply is the key concern for saving lives of those on medical equipment such as ventilators and oxygen concentrators," said Dr Khushboo Rakha, Assistant Professor, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, who has developed the device at the Advanced Materials and Design Lab of IIT Ropar.

"It has an inbuilt viral filter at the air entrainment end which has a viral efficacy of 99.99 per cent", said Rakha.

The viral filter ensures that the air does not bring in any pathogens from the environment. The device has been manufactured using 3D printing and has also been tested mechanically.

'Jivan Vayu' can deliver high flow oxygen (20-60 LPM) while maintaining a continuous positive pressure of up to 20 cm H2O. The device is designed to maintain an FiO2 of above 40 per cent with a PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) of 5-20 cm H2O.

Rakha and her team have collaborated with Suresh Chand, Faculty In-charge, Rapid Prototyping Lab, Siemens Centre of Excellence at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh for 3D printing of the device.

The device is now ready for medical testing and mass manufacturing.