About UCL-Ventura

A breathing aid that can help keep Covid-19 patients out of intensive care, adapted by engineers at UCL, clinicians at UCLH and working with Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains.

The breathing aid, known as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), has been used extensively in hospitals in Italy and China to help Covid-19 patients with serious respiratory problems to breathe more easily, when oxygen via a face mask alone alone is insufficient. NHS guidance for the role and use of non-invasive respiratory support (including CPAP) in adult patients with COVID-19 is available on the NHS website here.

Our team of mechanical engineers at UCL and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, together with clinicians at UCLH, worked round the clock to reverse engineer a CPAP device that could be rapidly manufactured and delivered to NHS hospitals ahead of a predicted surge in hospital admissions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The device we produced, called UCL-Ventura, has gained regulatory approval and the Department of Health and Social Care has ordered up to 10,000. We have conducted successful patient trials at UCLH and sister hospitals, and are now distributing devices to NHS hospitals across England, the devolved nations, and crown dependencies. We have also refined and modified the device to create a Mark II version, which has shown up to 70% reduced oxygen consumption in healthy volunteer assessments. To help meet international need, we have released the designs and manufacturing instructions for free to governments, industry manufacturers, academics and health experts across the globe.

Why is the UCL-Ventura needed?

Data from Italy indicates that administering CPAP prevents around 50% of patients from needing invasive mechanical ventilation. However, such devices are in short supply in UK hospitals.

UCLH critical care consultant Professor Mervyn Singer (UCL Medicine) said: “These devices will help to save lives by ensuring that ventilators, a limited resource, are used only for the most severely ill.

“While they will be tested at UCLH first, we hope they will make a real difference to hospitals across the UK by reducing demand on intensive care staff and beds, as well as helping patients recover without the need for more invasive ventilation.”

How did we do it?

This breathing aid was produced within a rapid timeframe – it took fewer than 100 hours from the initial meeting to production of the first device.

Professor Tim Baker (UCL Mechanical Engineering) said: “Given the urgent need, we are thankful that we were able to reduce a process that could take years down to a matter of days.

“From being given the brief, we worked all hours of the day, disassembling and analysing an off-patent device. Using computer simulations, we improved the device further to create a state-of-the-art version suited to mass production.

“We were privileged to be able to call on the capability of Formula One – a collaboration made possible by the close links between UCL Mechanical Engineering and HPP.”

The collaboration, supported by the National Institute for Health Research UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, demonstrates the way that universities, the NHS and industry are coming together to help the national response to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, by providing vital technologies to the NHS which can enable them to care for patients who require respiratory support.

Andy Cowell, Managing Director of Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, said: “The Formula One community has shown an impressive response to the call for support, coming together in the ‘Project Pitlane’ collective to support the national need at this time across a number of different projects. We have been proud to put our resources at the service of UCL to deliver the CPAP project to the highest standards and in the fastest possible timeframe.”

Professor David Lomas (UCL Vice Provost Health) said: “This breakthrough has the potential to save many lives and allow our frontline NHS staff to keep patients off ventilators. I would like to pay tribute to the incredible team of engineers and clinicians at UCL, HPP and UCLH, for working round-the-clock to develop this new prototype. It is, quite simply, a wonderful achievement to have gone from first meeting to regulator approval in just ten days. It shows what can be done when universities, industry and hospitals join forces for the national good.”

UCLH Chief Executive Marcel Levi said: “This is a real team effort and I am proud of colleagues at UCLH and our partners at UCL and HPP for their immense work to produce this device in such a short time. We hope this effort can be rolled out to hospitals across the UK to benefit all patients.

“Everyone involved in this project should know that their efforts will have a truly significant impact on patient care.”

Professor Micheal Arthur, UCL President & Provost said: “I am very proud to see UCL in collaboration with industry and international partners make such a speedy and potentially life-saving contribution to the national interest at this time of unprecedented challenge for our country and so many others around the world."

The team

We are an interdisciplinary team of mechanical engineers from UCL, clinicians from UCLH and industry partners Mercedes-AMG HPP brought together through the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering.

At UCL we have an ecosystem of partnerships spanning engineering, healthcare and industry, ready to be mobilised in times of need. The rapid deployment of these partners to meet the international challenges presented by Covid19 is a true demonstration of collaboration.

UCL-Ventura is led by engineers Prof Rebecca Shipley (Director, UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering), Prof Tim Baker (UCL Mechanical Engineering) and clinicians Prof Mervyn Singer (UCL Medicine and UCLH Critical Care) and Prof David Lomas (School of Life and Medical Sciences).

The UCL and University College London Hospital team includes Dr Tom Peach (UCL Mechanical Engineering), Dr Tom Rushton (UCL Mechanical Engineering), Mr Peter Weston (UCL Mechanical Engineering), Mr James Weaver (UCL Mechanical Engineering) and Dr David Brealey (UCL Medicine and UCLH Critical Care). The team is supported by Marilyn Aviles (Research & Development), Georgie Cade (Communications) and Alice Hardy (Marketing).

We are privileged to be working in such close collaboration with our industry partners Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains. Their engineering and manufacturing expertise has been critical. Mercedes-AMG HPP have been working as part of the 'Project Pitlane' collective. ‘Project Pitlane’ is a collective of UK-based Formula 1 teams and their respective technology arms coordinating a response to the UK government’s call for assistance with the manufacture of medical devices. It will pool the resources and capabilities of its member teams, focusing on the core skills of the F1 industry: rapid design, prototype manufacture, test and skilled assembly. F1’s ability to respond rapidly to engineering and technological challenges allows the group to add value to the wider engineering industry’s response.

We are also working closely with a number of other industry partners. G-TEM are invaluable partners supporting the logistics and distribution of the devices. G-TEM are an Automotive Tier 1, Engineering and press part manufacturer with business units in Gloucester, Wales and Slovakia. The company utilises skill sets in mass production Logistics / ERP, Procurement and Supply Chain Management to support the project. Other key industry partners include Life Racing, Oxford Optronix, Avon Protection, Intersurgical and ThanosMedical. In collaboration with UCL, these partners have achieved five Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approvals for UCL-Ventura related devices.

The UCL-UCLH collaboration has been enabled through the National Institute for Health Research UCLH Biomedial Research Centre. UCL Business have facilitated the licensed release of the designs for international, humanitarian use through their new platform: covid19research.uclb.com.

Particular thanks also go to Prof Nigel Titchener-Hooker (Dean of UCL Engineering) and Prof Yiannis Ventikos (UCL Mechanical Engineering) for their support of the UCL-Ventura project.

Find out more about the groups involved

Got a question?

Accessing devices for NHS hospitals (UK) - more information here

Accessing devices for international use - CPAPcovid19@ucl.ac.uk

Accessing designs and manufacturing instructions - downloads available here

Additional questions and technical support - ihecovid19response@ucl.ac.uk

Media and communications - Georgie Cade, g.cade@ucl.ac.uk

Twitter - @health_eng

Newsletter - sign up to our healthcare engineering monthly newsletter here

Professor Rebecca Shipley, Director of UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering

“At UCL, we have an established ecosystem of partnerships spanning engineers, healthcare and industry ready to be mobilised in times of need. It’s been a privilege to work closely with our clinical colleagues and with doctors leading the Covid-19 response in China and Italy. This close contact has helped us to define the need and respond with technology that we hope will support the NHS in the weeks and months to come.”

What is the difference between a ventilator and a CPAP device?

There has been a lot in the news recently about respiratory aids for Covid-19 patients. CPAPs and ventilators act differently and provide breathing support for patients at different points in their care pathway. Both devices are vitally needed in the fight against Covid-19.

Essentially, ventilators mechanically help patients to breathe by pumping oxygen directly into the patient’s lungs and then drawing carbon dioxide out. Patients on ventilators are sedated and have a tube inserted, usually for at least 12 days. CPAPs help patients who can breathe on their own by providing an oxygen-air mixture at constant pressure to the patient via a face mask. This pressure helps to splint open the lung bases, and deliver the oxygen to the patient’s blood stream that they need to live and function. Patients are awake, and usually on CPAPs for around 3-4 days. CPAPs and ventilators are both on the NHS England Pathway for Covid-19 treatment.