As the world faces this coronavirus epidemic hospitals face challenges when supply chains start drying up, but they press on in doing everything they can to save lives. Some extra help in the form of technology can really turn the tide, and it turns out 3D printers may play an important role in providing lifesaving parts.
One of the most important things hospitals can provide patients who are infected with the coronavirus is to increase oxygenation, giving the body enough time to fight the virus.
Italy has been one of the hardest-hit countries by the coronavirus. Brescia is located in Northern Italy, at the foot of the Alps, and recently a hospital there ran out of replacement valves for a reanimation device. They found themselves in a desperate situation due to the supplier unable to provide parts quickly.
Some quick thinking and 3D printing was able to rectify the situation and provide the urgently needed new valves to provide oxygen to their patients.
Nunzia Vallini is the editor for Giornale di Brescia, which is Brescia’s first newspaper, and she has been in contact with Massimo Temporelli, who is the founder of The FabLab in Milan. According to reports she reached out to Temporelli and told him about the hospital’s situation, asking if it was possible to 3D print the valves.
After many phone calls, they were able to locate a local company named Isinnova, who’s Founder and CEO, Cristian Fracassi, brought a 3D printer directly to the hospital. Within just a few hours he was able to redesign and reproduce the much-needed valves.
The very next day they were successfully using the 3D printed valves in 10 breathing machines. They wanted to share this news with people because 3D printers can also be used to help not only print valves but protective gear or masks for hospital workers, both are either on short supply or simply unable to be found at this time.
The first valves were printed using Fracassi’s filament extrusion system. Later, after word spread of this story, another local company named LonatiSpA used a polymer laser powder bed fusion process with a custom polyamide-based material.
It was in question at first whether there were copyright infringements, but the article in 3D Printing Media Network has been regularly updating, and due to hospitals around the world needing “venturi valves” for their ventilators, a model can now be downloaded online for free. GrabCAD user Flip Kober has created a model and uploaded it.
The 3D Printing Media Network, along with their partners at Shapemode, printed them with high accuracy using “stereolithography technology”, and they report the devices seem to have proper dimensional accuracy.
The website leaves a link for this and other 3D printable medical devices here and asks that if you print and use it anything, please post comments and suggestions for other users.
