A High-Value, Low-Cost Bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure System for Low-Resource Settings: Technical Assessment and Initial Case Reports
Author
Brown, Jocelyn
Machen, Heather
Kawaza, Kondwani
Mwanza, Zondiwe
Iniguez, Suzanne
Lang, Hans
Gest, Alfred
Kennedy, Neil
Miros, Robert
Richards-Kortum, Rebecca
Molyneux, Elizabeth
Oden, Maria
Date
2013Citation
Published Version
Abstract
Acute respiratory infections are the leading cause of global child mortality. In the developing world, nasal oxygen therapy is
often the only treatment option for babies who are suffering from respiratory distress. Without the added pressure of
bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (bCPAP) which helps maintain alveoli open, babies struggle to breathe and can
suffer serious complications, and frequently death. A stand-alone bCPAP device can cost $6,000, too expensive for most
developing world hospitals. Here, we describe the design and technical evaluation of a new, rugged bCPAP system that can
be made in small volume for a cost-of-goods of approximately $350. Moreover, because of its simple designラconsumergrade
pumps, medical tubing, and regulators—it requires only the simple replacement of a ,$1 diaphragm approximately
every 2 years for maintenance. The low-cost bCPAP device delivers pressure and flow equivalent to those of a reference
bCPAP system used in the developed world. We describe the initial clinical cases of a child with bronchiolitis and a neonate
with respiratory distress who were treated successfully with the new bCPAP device.
Type
Journal article
Citable link to this page
http://hdl.handle.net/1911/70700Metadata
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