Medtech in the time of COVID

During this crisis, many have come to know what a Ventilator is. Several companies switched gears to meet the surge in demand - from Phillips and Medtronic to automotive companies Ford, GM, and Tesla. There were open-source designs from MIT and Vanderbilt, and design efforts even focused on “Y” shaped connectors that would allow one Ventilator to serve multiple patients at a time.

But there has also been concern. The concern came from reports that the mortality rate for COVID19 patients on Ventilators was as much as 80%, compared to the 40-50% mortality rate for non-COVID19 patients even in severe respiratory distress. This could be because some of these Ventilators were designed rapid-fire to less than critical care standards; also the medical professionals to run these machines, monitor the oxygen flow, remove lung secretions - as well as the drugs required to keep the patient sedated were all in short supply. But it may be more than that.

In an illuminating talk last week, Jan De Backer, CEO of Medtech company FLUIDDA reiterated that Ventilators need to be used with care, or they could do more harm than good. Jan has a unique background: a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering as well as a doctorate in Biomedical Physics and his company leverages Aerospace-based Fluid Mechanics and airflow models to understand respiratory function. 

The COVID19 virus binds to receptors in small blood vessels, causing constrictions and impairing their ability to transfer oxygen. Thus, high levels of air pressure from the Ventilator could cause more harm than good, and it is imperative to first diagnose any vascular issues using CT scans, and mitigate those through vaso-dilators and anti-inflammatory drugs. And switch on Ventilators only as a second step.

Advanced AI and Deep learning techniques can be used to analyze these CT scans at rapid speed and with better prognostic accuracy than trained medical personnel. This is especially welcome at a time like now when trained medical personnel are already hard to find.