Introducing the breathe emergency and transport ventilator
We develop a medical device for settings where patients have limited access to quality emergency care.
We focus on collaboration, capacity building and patient safety.
Why Do We Need Ventilators?
Health Care Systems
Many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) suffer from fragile health care systems. Access to modern diagnostic and treatment equipment is limited, and there is a shortage of appropriately qualified medical personnel.
The World Health Organization (WHO) lists ventilators as CORE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT for low-resource settings. They help to save lives as they are commonly used for transport, to treat trauma, sepsis, and other illnesses, and for post-surgical care.
Ventilators are Essential
However, most commercial ventilators are too expensive, break easily in harsh environments, are hard to repair, and are difficult to learn to use and operate.
Common Ventilators
What Makes Us Special?
Easy to use
A user-centered design based on usability studies with local medical practitioners makes our ventilator accessible for both novel and experienced users.
The simplistic design and a strong focus on key functionalities significantly reduce the costs of our ventilator compared to other commercial products.
Affordable
Easy to repair
The modular design and focus on local operating conditions make our ventilator easy to maintain and repair, enabling its long-term, sustainable use.
The breathe ventilator is a low-cost ventilator for emergency use, transport, and short-term critical care. For successful introduction into the market and sustainable use in low-resource settings, we take a holistic approach to design a ventilator that is intuitive to use, robust, and easy to maintain, even in harsh environments. In collaboration with our medical partners, we focus on safe patient care and capacity building.
Here are some impressions from a trip to South Africa in 2022 with our previous prototype: