Cuban scientists develop lung ventilators to assist patients in ICU

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 15 (ACN) A multidisciplinary team of specialists belonging to the Cuban Neuroscience Center (CNEURO) is developing pulmonary ventilators in the country, so that patients who need them can have access to this means of medical assistance.

PhD Mitchell Valdes Sosa, general director of CNEURO, told Granma newspaper that when the first cases of COVID-19 were registered, Cuba tried to buy pulmonary ventilators from Swiss and American companies, but the companies closed their commercial relations due to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States.

He explained that in view of this situation, Cuban professionals have worked on two types of pulmonary ventilators, a low-end invasive one, called Pcuvente; and a non-invasive one.

According to Valdes Sosa, the first of these models is adequate for the Intensive Care Units (ICU) or post-surgical recovery rooms, and during the movement inside and outside the hospital; besides, it uses a battery that allows it to work by itself for more than one hour.

Being a low range ventilator, it is not recommended for those patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus; however, its use in intensive care rooms makes it possible to attend to cases with less severe respiratory distress.

Pcuvente is currently being tested in intensive care; 250 units have been foreseen, of which 77 have already been delivered to the National Health System.

The second model is a non-invasive ventilator; the patient breathes spontaneously within a pressure level higher than the atmospheric one and it is not necessary to intubate the patient, explained the head of CNEURO, adding that its use is focused on cases with mild respiratory distress, contributing to improve alveolar ventilation and reduce the frequency of intubation.

Although the ventilators used are not directly associated with COVID-19, they do allow the release of wider range ventilators and their redirection to intensive care rooms where patients with the disease are treated.