National Instruments allows testing to accelerate ventilator to market

As the new type of coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) spreads around the world, ventilators, which are key equipment for the treatment of critically ill patients, are also in urgent need in various places. In this emergency moment when demand exceeds supply, in order to ensure the production and quality of ventilators, in addition to the efficient and high-quality supply of parts and components manufacturers, professional test and measurement systems are also needed to escort them. The world’s leading test and measurement manufacturer NI is cooperating with many Ventilator production partners cooperate to help ventilator manufacturers accelerate the testing of each ventilator.

One more ventilator is a silver lining. Some car companies are also making ventilators across borders, but the production of ventilators requires rigorous testing and verification. The ventilator manufacturers currently supported by NI include Averna Technologies, Circuit Check and Velentium, etc., to help test and verify their ventilators to pass the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certification.

NI Marketing Manager Jared Aho said: "Some ventilators have very complex structures and require a lot of redundancy, alarms, and worst-case failure protection; and some ventilators use wireless communication, so signal transmission must be tested and tested. Confirmed. Faced with a surge in demand for ventilators, NI's ventilator production partners suddenly received requests for cross-border cooperation from automakers and other medical device manufacturers. In this regard, NI will strongly support and give priority to Corresponding engineering services to speed up the implementation time of test projects."

Difficulty breathing is one of the typical symptoms of people infected with new coronary pneumonia. When acute respiratory distress syndrome occurs, only the use of a ventilator to assist or replace breathing can ensure the patient's blood oxygen level. Some ventilators only need to run for a short period of time, while others must work continuously for many days; some ventilators are powerful and have more complex structures. For example, Ventec’s 5-in-1 treatment system VOCSN includes: ventilator, Oxygen concentrators, cough aids, sputum suction devices and nebulizers, which can convert liquid medicines into fine mists for people to inhale through a mask or mouthpiece. Some situations such as "When a patient coughs while using a ventilator, how does the ventilator respond?" The situation must be rigorously tested and verified in advance.

Ventilators have very high requirements for stability. Whether it is a pressure-driven system, valves, filters, or any component failure, the ventilator may fail and endanger the lives of patients. The core components of the ventilator, such as turbofans, sensors, chips, etc., are inseparable from the test system. The good news is that NI's deep accumulation in the test and measurement industry can help manufacturers quickly build test systems. Once the automated production line is ready, NI and Velentium will complete a ventilator test within three minutes. Ventilators have high technical barriers and high cost. They are hard to find in extraordinary times, but for critically ill patients, ventilators are to a large extent a "life-saving machine."

NI vice president Dave Wilson said in an interview with American media Fierce Electronics a few days ago: "The demand for ventilators has risen sharply. We started with'Yes, what do we need to do'. Although the challenge is arduous, I think this challenge will be similar. It is as significant as the realization of a moonwalk."

NI President and CEO Eric Starkloff said: "We will not let testing become an obstacle to bringing ventilators to the market."

At present, NI is paying close attention to the development of new coronary pneumonia. During this period, NI has two priorities: one is to pay attention to and protect the health and safety of NI employees, family members and the communities where they are located, and the other is to do everything possible to satisfy customers and The needs of partners. NI has always been committed to helping engineers and scientists solve various engineering problems. In this challenging period, NI will strive to assist customers in medical and other industries to efficiently deliver highly reliable products. NI will also prioritize the production needs of key medical equipment to combat the new crown pneumonia, and assist engineers in solving challenges as soon as possible.