Umoya-Project Information

Availability of respiratory support for the World to assist with COVID-19 treatment - Innovative solutions to overcome the ICU constraints - Opensource designs shared globally - Incorporating readily accessible materials, components and 3D printing - Allowing rapid production and assembly Our volunteers are based in Southern Africa where structural, social and technological constraints exist in responding effectively to Covid-19. A unique challenge in South Africa and other developing nations is the low level of ICU capacity and staff to support patients under sedation on traditional mechanical ventilators. Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic is to save lives by finding innovative easily deployable solutions to assist with patient breathing. We are focusing on three levels of support with our biggest focus being on the BiPAP solution. 1. Unique Non-Invasive solution, with minimal aerosolisation, to bridge the gap before ICU ventilation and help mitigate the ICU capacity and staff constraint that will play out in the developing world (and is even evident in the US and UK) 2. Simple, hand held CPAP device to assist patient requiring Oxygen support plus maintaining slight pressure to keep their lungs from collapsing during expiration. 3. Venturi mask to supply oxygen to patients who just require oxygen support. This will be the bulk of patients (+/-80% of admissions) and the supply chain around existing hospital supplied venture masks is unlikely to cope as we have seen elsewhere in the world. We plan to have a backup solution ready to roll out timeously should this occur. We are also participating in other teams currently reverse engineering the Nuffield 200 ventilator as well as the Bird Ventilator, lending our collective skills and abilities as appropriate. Sharing of components and solutions between groups to leverage collective effort.