Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune installs two new Indian origin ventilators post evaluation

In March 2020, faced with increasing COVID-19 cases and a shortfall of ventilators, Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF) under the leadership of Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, announced the #Innovate2BeatCOVID Grand Challenge. Nocca Robotics and IIT Kanpur reached out to Dr Prachee Sathe, Director – ICU, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune, Maharashtra which was fast becoming a hotspot for COVID-19 cases, for her assistance.

The three-month long collaboration resulted in the Noccarc V310, a fully-functioning ICU ventilator, emerging victorious amongst 1500 entries. The team was amongst India’s top three innovative ‘Ventilators and Other Respiratory Solutions’ and was awarded Rs. 85 lakh in grants.

Various studies and endurance tests later, the team of engineers at Nocca Robotics in association with IIT Kanpur and under the mentorship of Dr Sathe were successfully able to install the Noccarc V310 at Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune,.

Speaking about the evaluation process, Dr Prachee Sathe, Director – ICU, Ruby Hall Clinic said, “To ensure patient safety, the most important aspect was having the ventilator tested in a clinical setting. During the 28-day study at our ICU, our team monitored the machine round-the-clock. In fact, there was a point of time when Dr Nipun Gupta volunteered to administer the ventilator on himself. We were quick to notice that the device enabled him to breathe comfortably for several hours. It has also been tested on a couple of patients with critical lung infections making it clinically validated.”

Giving more details, she added, “The most unique feature of this ventilator is that it comes with a UV chamber. When a virus-infected patient on a ventilator breathes out, he exhales air filled with virus loads, making it hazardous for all of us. The UV filter chambers kill viruses making it a safer environment. Today, it is indeed a moment of pride for us to see our efforts come to fruition. Nocca Robotics has donated two ventilators to our institute — a much needed bestowal at a time when Pune is seeing a high influx of coronavirus patients.”

According to a release, the V310 is a turbine-based ventilator which consists of all modes required by doctors. In addition to being a state-of-the-art ICU ventilator for complex respiratory failure, it has some of the most unique features including the HFNC (high-flow nasal cannula), BiPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) and CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) modes. The machine also consists of the PRVC (pressure-regulated volume control) mode, and have both volume and pressure control. The ventilator has in fact been tested in private and government hospitals across India and has successfully passed stringent electrical safety, performance and calibration tests.

Bomi Bhote, CEO, Ruby Hall Clinic commended the endeavour of the team and said, “At a time when most indigenous ventilators are being rejected due to lack of clinical validation and feasibility, the fact that our team has been part of a project that has seen the light of the day is indeed heartwarming. We have taken a systematic, proactive and comprehensive approach to balance the need for accommodating COVID-19 patients, and the addition of two more ventilators will only add to our cause. This is one of many cases in which we at Ruby Hall Clinic have wanted to create synergy between our desire to provide wholehearted care in times of crisis along with fostering the spirit of local innovation.”