Formula One engineers develop new coronavirus breathing mask to take pressure off NHS
FORMULA One engineers are developing a new breathing mask that can help keep Covid-19 patients out of intensive care.
The Mercedes team, mechanical engineers and medics are hoping the breathing aid will ease the pressure the NHS is currently facing during the coronavirus outbreak.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
It comes after a disturbing report yesterday revealed that almost half of coronavirus patients who end up in intensive care are dying from the bug.
The new device, known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), has been used extensively in hospitals in Italy and China to help coronavirus patients.
It bridges the gap between an oxygen mask and the need for full ventilation, which requires sedation and an invasive procedure.
They work by pushing a mix of oxygen and air into the mouth and nose at a continuous rate, helping to increase the amount of oxygen entering the lungs.
A team from University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospital (UCLH) have worked with Mercedes Formula One to adapt and improve existing CPAP in a process known as reverse engineering.
The device has now been recommended for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which approves medical devices in the UK, UCL said.
The adapted device was developed in under 100 hours from an initial meeting to production of the first CPAP.
Some 100 devices are now being delivered to UCLH for clinical trials, followed by the potential for rapid roll-out to hospitals around the UK.
Reports from Italy suggest around half of patients given CPAP have avoided the need for invasive mechanical ventilation.
UCLH critical care consultant Professor Mervyn Singer said: "These devices will help to save lives by ensuring that ventilators, a limited resource, are used only for the most severely ill.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - STAY IN THE KNOW
Don't miss the latest news and figures - and essential advice for you and your family.
To receive The Sun's Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.
To follow us on Facebook, simply 'Like' our Coronavirus page.
Get Britain's best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day - find out more.
"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."
Professor David Lomas, vice-provost for health at UCL, said: "This breakthrough has the potential to save many lives and allow our frontline NHS staff to keep patients off ventilators.
"It is, quite simply, a wonderful achievement to have gone from first meeting to regulator approval in just 10 days. It shows what can be done when universities, industry and hospitals join forces for the national good."
CPAP machines are routinely used by the NHS to support patients in hospital or at home with breathing difficulties, but are said to be in short supply currently.
Professor Rebecca Shipley, director of the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering, said: "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."
Professor Tim Baker, from UCL's department of 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."
Andy Cowell, managing director of Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, said: "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."
The number of cases of coronavirus in the UK yesterday rose to over 19,000 - with the death toll standing at 1,228.
Grim statistics yesterday revealed that almost half of coronavirus patients who end up in intensive care are dying from the illness.
Data based on 165 UK patients treated in critical care units showed that 79 had died and 86 were discharged, giving a mortality rate of 47.8 per cent.
The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) study has been running since the end of February and has come out with some terrifying results.
More on coronavirus
The shocking statistics are likely to be as a result of NHS hospital doctors only sending the most serious coronavirus cases, around five per cent of coronavirus-based hospital admissions, to their intensive care units (ICU's) as a last resort due to a shortage of resources.
“The truth is that quite a lot of these individuals [in critical care] are going to die anyway and there is a fear that we are just ventilating them for the sake of it, for the sake of doing something for them, even though it won’t be effective. That’s a worry,” said one doctor interviewed by The Guardian.
The high death rate raises questions about how effective critical care will be in saving the lives of people struck down by the disease.