COVID-19: NIT-Durgapur builds artificial breathing device

"The AMBU can be called a simplified ventilator in which the volume of oxygen can be controlled uniformly through automation. The clinical trials are being conducted in collaboration with professional doctors, who are consultants to project 'Pranesh'.

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The device will be available at healthcare facilities after trials (Express photo/Amit Mehra)

With a rise in demand for ventilators in view of the coronavirus outbreak, the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Durgapur in West Bengal has made a simple automated artificial breathing device, a top official of the institute said on Monday.

The indigenously-built Artificial Manual Breathing Unit (AMBU) has undergone a “successful clinical trial on a small scale in the initial stage”, NIT Durgapur Director Anupam Basu told PTI.

After conducting further clinical trials on a bigger scale, the institute will think about referring the device to healthcare facilities for use by patients, he said.

The clinical trials are being conducted in collaboration with professional doctors, who are consultants to project ‘Pranesh’, Basu said.

“The AMBU can be called a simplified ventilator in which the volume of oxygen can be controlled uniformly through automation,” he said.

The AMBU performs automated pumping of oxygen for patients, Basu said. He said such a device will be required even in primary health care in the future.

Proud to announce that NIT-Durgapur has innovated an indigenously-built Artificial Manual Breathing Unit (AMBU).
The AMBU will perform automated pumping of oxygen for patients. #COVID19
Kudos to the team led by Anupam Basu, Director – NIT Durgapur. pic.twitter.com/WoHLG54wEc

— Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) April 22, 2020