At a time when hospitals are facing a paucity of ventilators amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a city-based hospital will embark on three-month-long clinical trials to test a non-invasive indigenous ventilator developed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), an official said on July 27.

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"Starting from July 28, we will start Phase III clinical trials on SwasthVayu, the non-invasive indigenous ventilator, which may last up to three months," the official, Satyanarayana told IANS. SwasthVayu was created in response to the Prime Minister giving a call to innovators and scientists to develop products to ramp up healthcare systems to tackle the COVID pandemic.

NAL, a constituent of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has collaborated with Satyanarayana, a pulmonologist at Manipal Hospital to design SwasthVayu. "SwasthVayu is equipped with advanced features like Bi-level mode (BiPAP), Continuous Positive Airway Mode (CPAP), spontaneous modes and 3D printed HEPA-T filter adapter connected directly to the non-ventilated mask," said Satyanarayana.

Prior to the clinical trials, SwasthVayu was also tested on an artificial lung. In the clinical trials now, it will be tested for safety and efficacy. "The device has been subjected to trials on artificial lung models and has successfully passed stringent electrical safety, performance, calibration, bio-compatibility tests at a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited laboratory," said NAL chief scientist C. M. Ananda.

SwasthVayu has also been registered with the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) and Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). According to Satyanarayana, the ventilator can be used to treat patients with respiratory failure in both COVID and non-COVID situations. "This provides an opportunity for scarce ICU beds not to be overburdened and to be used for severely affected patients," said Satyanarayana.

He said the device will be of much use after the pandemic to treat sleep disorder breathing problems such as obstructive sleep apnea and others. Bengaluru continues to be the ground zero of coronavirus, recording the highest number of cases everyday. On July 26, the city reported 1,950 cases, raising the tally to 45,453. Of these, 33,156 are active.