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. 

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. 

This project is a collaboration between UCL Mechanical Engineering, UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering, University College London Hospital (UCLH) and Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains.