Multiple Patient Ventilator Splitter by aarondiab

Last crawled date: 4 years ago

This device is a splitter that, hypothetically, will allow one ventilator to be used on multiple patients. There are 2 sub assemblies required, first the splitter itself, I have included a 2 way and a 4 way, second the check valves that prevent exhaled breath from one patient going to the other patient. The check valves must be in one direction for the inhalation circuit and the other direction for the exhalation circuit. The valves consist of the body, the disk and the cap. When assembled the disk sits in the round "cage" in the cap and rests against the face of of the tube inside the valve body. Between the cap and the valve body goes the gasket. I printed the gasket in Ninjaflex but some other gasket material could be used to make it. There are two versions of the disk, one with a round indent for and o-ring and the other is a dual extrusion print with the bottom in Ninjaflex and the top in PLA. The dual extrusion disk works better. I do not certify that this splitter will work to vent multiple patients or that venting multiple patients on one ventilator is a good idea. There have been studies done on this subject but they are lacking in rigor. During the pandemic though we may have to do things in an emergency that we would otherwise not do. I leave to the physicians and clinicians to make the appropriate determination as to whether or not this device should be used.