If the very thought of medical expenses gives you the jitters,a cutting edge indigenous critical care ventilator developed by scientists may ease the burden.DRDO experts, Nimhans specialists and manufacturing experts from Pricol Medical Systems Ltd have jointly developed Inventa,a ventilator that offers all the features of an imported one at lower cost.The brainchild of former President APJ Abdul Kalam,its research and development involved the Society for Bio-Medical Technology (SBMT),a division of DRDO that he conceived and established.The technology developed by DRDO was transferred to Pricol for production and commercialization.
Dr Satishchandra,director, Nimhans, elaborated on the features of the ventilator: It has a user-friendly keypad,9-inch screen and scroll n select knob which takes just a few seconds for anyone to start ventilating a patient.The critical parameters related to the mode of ventilation are available at a glance,helping make clinical decisions faster.
The equipment features volume and pressure-controlled ventilation.It also has a visual alarm indication on the sides that synchronizes with the audible alarm a feature that can distinguish it from other ventilators in the ICU.The ergonomically designed handle and castors provide easy mobility and stability.
This is a mid-end ventilator costing approximately Rs 4.75 lakh,while an imported mid-end one costs around Rs 7 lakh.The high-end imported ventilator costs approximately Rs 12 lakh.The advantage we have with the indigenous ventilator is quick availability of spares,service,wide service network and easy replacement of spare parts, Pricol representatives explained.
According to medical specialists,lower costs of ventilating a patient arises from lower cost of operation of the ventilator.Built out of locally manufactured components,its overall cost is lower than one with imported components.The system also uses a microprocessor that is local.So far,175 ventilators have been sold to several hospitals,including Nimhans.
