Mechanical Ventilation Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Guide for Physicians and Engineers

The  surge in COVID-19 cases leading to hospitalizations around the world  quickly depleted hospital resources and reserves, forcing physicians to  make extremely difficult life-or-death decisions on ventilator  allocation between patients. Leaders in academia and industry have  developed numerous ventilator support systems using both consumer- and  industry-grade hardware to sustain life and to provide intermediate  respiratory relief for hospitalized patients. This book is the first of  its kind to discuss the respiratory pathophysiology underlying COVID-19,  explain ventilator mechanics, provide and evaluate a repository of  innovative ventilator support devices conceived amid the pandemic, and  explain both hardware and software components necessary to develop an  inexpensive ventilator support device. This book serves both as a  historical record of the collaborative and innovative response to the  anticipated ventilator shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic and as a  guide for physicians, engineers, and DIY'ers interested in developing  inexpensive transitory ventilator support devices.