Creating Emergency Adapters for Ventilating COVID-19 Patients

Last November, Poland was hit hard by a huge outbreak of COVID-19 that left many people hospitalized. With more than 20,000 new infections per day and many people in hospital, the Polish health care system needed every person and device to care for the patients. 

However, the pandemic had already interrupted supply chains so it was hard to get certain appliances. One of them was a simple adapter for an oxygen reducer, a device used to regulate gas pressure. The use of a dedicated adapter ensures the proper and safe connection between the oxygen regulator and the tube leading to the oxygen apparatus. It is a necessary item to ensure stable and proper oxygen distribution.

The R&D center at the Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (WUST) worked with the J. Gromkowski Provincial Specialist Hospital in Wroclaw to develop a 3D printed adapter to save patients’ lives. The initiative was led by Prof. Tomasz Kurzynowski, who is a researcher at Center for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (CAMT) from WUST. The team used a CAD software to develop the oxygen regulator. Previously, the adapter was made from two parts which did not ensure a tight connection. The team managed to consolidate the design into a single part. The re-designed adapter provides a more tight and safe connection between the tube from the oxygen supply and the tube for moisturizing oxygen. Using the Form 3B which is specialized for biocompatible prints, they were able to produce 20 adapters in 12 hours. 

By now, the J. Gromkowski Provincial Specialist Hospital uses about 50 3D printed oxygen regulators. Read more here.