IIT Hyderabad launches cost-effective, portable ventilator for commercial use

Each unit of Jeevan Lite costs INR 4 lakh against similar imported devices priced at INR 10-15 lakh per unit.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad has developed a portable, cost-effective, and IoT-enabled ventilator powered by lithium-ion batteries. According to the official information released by the institute, the ventilator is now available for commercial use. Telangana and Puducherry Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan launched the smart ventilator named ‘Jeevan Lite’ on Thursday. Each unit costs INR 4 lakh against similar imported devices priced at INR 10-15 lakh per unit.

Aerobiosys Innovations Private Limited, co-founded in 2019 by two young Biodesign Innovation fellows of the Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship at IIT Hyderabad, has designed the ventilator.

Talking about the launch of the cost-effective ventilator, Soundararajan said, “Maintenance of medical devices was affected due to delay in import of certain parts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, innovations such as Jeevan Lite will improve the healthcare facilities for the public.”

According to IIT officials, the Internet-of-Things (IoT)-enabled ventilator operates uninterrupted in synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation, continuous mandatory ventilation, adaptive and hybrid modes of ventilation for five hours and is both invasive and non-invasive. Users can also control the ventilator using a smartphone app.

"It has been designed based on the Turbine-driven flow method which provides independence from gas cylinders or compressors. It also comes with an integrated nebuliser with auto cut-off precise timer,” a senior IIT Hyderabad official said.

"Jeevan Lite features all the essential modes expected from an advanced ventilation system in one adaptable platform. It also presents a wide range of tools to help you stabilise the patient and wean them off the ventilator," the official added.

The system has an intuitive user interface design with each function in a logical order so that clinicians do not have to navigate a complex menu, the official said. In addition, both the valves and flow sensor support autoclaving, a safety concept designed to meet the current clinical trends of protecting patients even under the most demanding conditions.

The system also displays a real-time information of the breath pattern and other critical lung parameters, the official said. "It can attach to an oxygen cylinder and operate on its own in ambient air. The accessories and consumables are specially developed for the highest possible patient safety and ease of use," according to the official.

"This enables the hospitals and the institutes to choose between reusable and disposable parts, according to their institutional policies,” the official said.

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