Whenever mankind is threatened, be it an environmental disaster, war or plague, history has shown how our collective efforts and ingenuity have shielded us from further devastation. The novel Coronavirus is no different. All around the world, enterprising scientists, engineers, doctors, etc. began experimenting with possible vaccines, test kits and bio-medical equipment that would be needed in the war against this unseen enemy. The iCube team decided to join the battle.
The Initiation of Proshshash
iCube is a Bangladeshi innovation hub of engineers and scientists. They began designing a ventilator with the hope of being the first to contribute to the nation’s fight against the deadly Coronavirus.
When EDGE The Foundation, launched their nationwide initiative – “Design for Life, Ventilators for All” iCube joined. The competition pitted the brightest minds in Bangladesh against each other in a race to come up with a ventilator to augment the healthcare services that is both economical and easily scalable.
With 60 entries, the two-week competition became the buzz of the town. iCube’s design emerged among the three best, adjudged by a panel of biomedical engineering experts and ICU doctors from two continents. During the final and prototyping stage of the contest, Edge declared iCube’s ventilator as the clear winner, promising to deliver a functional, sophisticated machine that was not only inexpensive to make but easily scalable. The Bangla word ‘Proshshash’ originates from the Sanskrit ‘Praśbāsa’, which means inhalation or the action of breathing. The team has affectionately named their winning ventilator ‘Proshshash’. This project is being sponsored by Bay Development Ltd.
The latest version is now a surprisingly simple looking product that packs quite a punch.
It can run nonstop for days on CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) or BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) modes for Coronavirus patients with low to moderate breathing difficulties.
Then, there is the CMV (Continuous Mandatory Ventilation) mode for patients needing intubation.
Making Each Breath Count
Experts from around the world were consulted to help further develop the features. The latest version is now a surprisingly simple-looking product that packs quite a punch. It can run nonstop for days on CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) or BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) modes for Coronavirus patients with low to moderate breathing difficulties. Then, there is the CMV (Continuous Mandatory Ventilation) mode for patients needing intubation, when all else has failed and is thus used as a last resort.
As per a2i guidelines, Proshshash has been calibrated at MIST and is awaiting lab tests. In the meantime, DGHS is to publish guidelines for clinical trials. After passing the lab test, the prototypes will be put to clinical trials, which will be for a minimum period of 24 hours. If successful, DGHS will issue a permit for those prototypes, which will undoubtedly prove to be a well-deserved breath of relief for the overburdened healthcare infrastructure and the rising number of infected individuals.
