Posted on 03/23/2020 6:18:15 PM PDT by hiho hiho
As hospitals scramble to secure more ventilators, some doctors are getting creative in order to help their patients. Such is the case with Canadian doctor Dr. Alain Gauthier, an anesthetist at the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital in Ontario.
Gauthier, who has a Ph.D. in respiratory mechanics, turned one hospital ventilator into a machine that can serve nine clients using do-it-yourself mechanics. The process was so brilliant that some have even called him an "evil genius."
Gauthier was inspired by YouTube videos created by two Detroit doctors in 2006, according to CBC News. He said he created a complex ventilator to offer people the best chance at survival.
"At one point we may not have other options," Gauthier told CBC News. "The option could be well, we let people die or we give that a chance."
The nine-person ventilator has now made headlines around the world after a colleague of Gauthier's tweeted a picture of it. "So in ten minutes the evil genius who is one of our GP anesthetists (with a Ph.D. in diaphragmatic mechanics) increased our rural hospitals' ventilator capacity from one to nine!!!" he tweeted.
The tweet has garnered more than 71K likes and has been retweeted 16K times.
Even billionaire philanthropist Elon Musk seems to have been impressed by Gauthier's efforts as he commented on the tweet that it was an "interesting thread." Musk even got into the logistics of the ventilator adding to his tweet that: "A single computer, pump & pressure accumulator would be fine for many patients, but ideally individual valves per patient to personalize care & avoid cross-flow risk."
In these trying times where people are overwhelmed, it is nice to see medical staff taking such positive, creative initiatives. The story may inspire more doctors in more hospitals to take on such challenges.
Bless Dr. Gauthiee, I hope his experiment is helpful. A free people can come up with no end of experiments to solve social problems,
Hero
Perhaps, as the President said tonight, we are learning things.
I’m reminded by the line in Apollo 13:
Don’t tell my what it’s designed to do, tell what it can do.
Doctor outside the box...brilliant!
Someone send this to Trump. These will be in mass production in 48 hours.
Probably something in HIPPA that stops this. Like no 2 patients can share an expense, etc.
Send it to the doctors in the countries where they have decided not to give respirators to people over 60.
degraded performance formal patients due to pressure drop across multiple paths. compensation would require increased output pressure from the compressor pump which will either wear out sooner or overheat.
decent jury rig for a quick fix, but not a long term solution.
for all not formal
If the motor of the machine can handle the load, then a manifold could be used for handling multiple pneumatic flow lines to X number of pressure vessels (lungs).
Italy...Spain....they need to see this!!
I’ve been to Perth and Smith Falls....I doubt they have 9 people on ventilators....small towns....
Thank you. I couldn’t remember which two they were.
Failing to see why preparing for casualties is a bad idea...
thank you...!!!
But willing to listen..and/or observe.
I'm wondering about I/E ratio..with 2-9 people on the same ventilator?
How would you monitor that?
How would you monitor individual VT's...Chest excursion?
I dunno...
But in a pinch...you try anything..I guess.
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