Industries & expertise

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Imperial’s experts in medical device design (bioengineering) – and a clinician treating infected patients – have designed an emergency ventilator that can be built to meet MHRA and FDA requirements using generic parts.  JAMVENT provides a simple, low-cost solution to ventilator shortages worldwide, particularly for health services in developing countries. Plus the robust design also makes it suitable for long term use beyond current COVID-19 needs.

The design document for the JAMVENT ventilator can be downloaded at the bottom of this page by those wishing to develop ventilators for their local healthcare providers. It includes a list of parts and a software spec – plus any further updates will also be made available.

We welcome enquiries from health organisations, manufacturers and donors interested in working with us to take JAMVENT from design to manufacture.

Design benefits

• Long term use – not specific to the COVID-19 crisis
• Easy to manufacture from low cost components (estimated at around £1,500 in the UK)
• Does not require specific pressure transducers or solenoids
• Parts can be sourced from various manufacturers – avoiding supply-chain bottlenecks
• No specialist or medical supply chain components – and no balloons
• Simple electronics
• Doesn’t require gas to drive it – unlike some others – which is critical where gas supply is limited.
• Employs fluid mechanical design principles

Ventilator design meets clinicians needs

• PEEP controllable electronically
• Pressure Regulated Volume Control (PRVC) mode
• Supports spontaneous breath
• Maintains PEEP during suctioning

Performance evidence

Evidence that the JAMVENT prototype can perform to MHRA and ISO 80601 tests can be downloaded here.

• JAMVENT Evidence of Performance V2- MkIV prototype and ISO 80601 tests
• JAMVENT Evidence of Performance V1 -MkIII prototype and MHRA RMVS tests

It also highlights PRVC and spontaneous mode performance and how it can maintain PEEP during suctioning – critical functions of ICU ventilators for COVID-19 patients.

JAMVENT ventilator in action – click to view a video

• Dr Sherwood presents the Mark II prototype and describes the basic components and their functions
• Dr Sherwood takes a look inside the Mark III prototype and describes the basic components and their functions
• Dr Joseph Sherwood and Dr Jakob Mathiszig-Lee demonstrate JAMVENT in PRVC mode, and the rapid response to a change in User Inputs. The mock lung has a resistance of 20 cmH2O/(l/s) and compliance of 30 ml/cmH2O.
• Dr Mathiszig-Lee and Dr Sherwood demonstrate JAMVENT in spontaneous mode, where the system senses breath from the patient and provides a supported breath. When no breath occurs for 20 seconds, PRVC mode restarts automatically.
• Dr Mathiszig-Lee demonstrates JAMVENT in suction mode. A suction of 30 l/min is applied next to the entry to the mock lung. The system maintains pressure in the range 5-6 cm H2O for significantly longer than the 3 seconds required by the test in the MHRA guidelines.

Ventilator system

Creators of the emergency ventilator design

• Project and Technical Lead – Dr Joseph Sherwood – RAEng Research Fellow, Department of Bioengineering. Research areas include biofluid mechanics, flow measurement/control, device design for research.
• Clinical Lead – Dr. Jakob Mathiszig-Lee – Honorary Research Fellow and Senior Anaesthetic Registrar at the Royal Brompton Hospital. Department of Surgery and Cancer.
• Project Manager – Prof James Moore – The Bagrit Chair in Medical Device Design, Department of Bioengineering. Research areas include biofluid mechanics, cardiovascular device design, device translation.
• Co-Technical Lead – Dr Michael Madekurozwa, Department of Bioengineering. Research areas include experimental biofluid dynamics, design and implementation of tools, hardware and software for use in research.