In these times, there is news that gives hope. Dallara engineers in Parma designed a system to control the flow of air mixed with oxygen. Vuototecnica, through Fip, its local distributor partner, has contributed to the project by recommending and supplying a Coanda effect venturi for the desired air-oxygen mixing. After some video calls on Skype and some great ideas, with the help of 3D printers to test the good resolution of the intuitions, they were able to transform Decathlon snorkel mask into a life-saving device, working as a mechanical ventilation with continuous positive pressure, the now infamous C-pap. A system capable of restoring breath to unintubated Covid-19 patients in need of hospitalization.
So the project was useful to the Maggiore Hospital in Parma. With this mask, which has a filtering on exhalation, it is possible to block the emission of contagious droplets of the breath and also to guarantee pressure support with an oxygen cylinder. Once we had the idea, however, there were to optimize the inlet and outlet connections of the mask and all with a minimum economic impact, considering the urgency and lack of means. So the engineers worked day and night to manage the inlet and outlet flows and ensure vacuum and oxygen supply.
This teamwork, almost entirely carried out remotely, demonstrates that research and knowledge, sharing in industry, when coordinated with the territory and the social sector, can work wonders.
