Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies
COVID19 is currently spreading exponentially, in a mostly unchecked fashion, throughout the world. Infection doubling rates are as high as 2-3 days. Under simplistic models, such unchecked growth means the disease infects most of the world in months. Current statistics indicate that 15-20% of people who get it require hospitalization for respiratory failure for multiple weeks, and often need intense healthcare from medical professionals who are at severe risk treating these highly infectious patients. If infections proceed at their current pace across the globe, we will not have enough supplies like ventilators, respirators, PPE, etc. to meet demand.
This group is being formed to evaluate, design, validate, and source the fabrication of open source emergency medical supplies around the world, given a variety of local supply conditions.
Please note that we will explicitly flag designs that have been evaluated by our medical team, and unless explicitly stated, designs posted in the Files tab, or in posts and comments on the page, should be viewed as unevaluated, and treated with caution.
Design, Manufacturing, & Engineering Projects
PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) is critical to the protection of healthcare workers, acting as a barrier and therefore controlling exposure to COVID-19. Some of the most fundamental items comprising PPE include gloves, goggles, surgical masks, respirators, protective gowns, and disinfectant. Many of these crucial PPE items are now in short supply due to interruptions in the supply chain, and also from the massive demand as the number of patients infected continues to grow exponentially.
Numerous medical devices are required to treat the COVID-19 patient and will also fall into short supply (e.g. ventilators). Shortages of necessary PPE and medical devices will continue to pose a significant problem for healthcare workers and patients around the globe. Anyone with production capabilities should carefully consider the manufacture of known designs and development of new designs for the following items:
Supplies
PPE
Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR/CAPR)
Face Shields (Full Face Protection / FFP)
Medical Supplies
Flow-Splitters for Oxygen Supply
Venturi Masks (High Flow)
Devices
Non-Heated Humidifier (aka Cool-Mist)