1
|
Cuervo R, Rodríguez-Lázaro MA, Farré R, Gozal D, Solana G, Otero J. Low-cost and open-source neonatal incubator operated by an Arduino microcontroller. HARDWAREX 2023; 15:e00457. [PMID: 37538251 PMCID: PMC10393824 DOI: 10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
An unacceptably large number of newborn infants die in developing countries. For a considerable number of cases (particularly in preterm infants), morbidity and mortality can be reduced by simply maintaining newborn thermal homeostasis during the first weeks of life. Unfortunately, deaths caused by prematurity remain inordinately common in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to reduced access to incubators in light of the high cost of commercially available devices. We herein describe and test a low-cost and easy-to-assemble neonatal incubator created with inexpensive materials readily available in LMICs. The incubator is based on an Arduino microcontroller. It maintains controlled temperature and relative humidity inside the main chamber while continuously measuring newborn weight progress. Moreover, the incubator has a tilting bed system and an additional independent safety temperature alarm. The performance of the novel low-cost neonatal incubator was evaluated and successfully passed the IEC 60601-2-19 standards. In the present work, we provide all the necessary technical information, which is distributed as open source. This will enable assembly of very low-cost (<250 €) and fully functional incubators in LMICs that should help reduce neonatal mortality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rubén Cuervo
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Ramon Farré
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain
- Institut Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Gozal
- Departments of Child Health and Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, and The Child Health Research Institute, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Gorka Solana
- Faculdade de Engenharias e Tecnologias, Universidade Save, Maxixe, Mozambique
| | - Jorge Otero
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain
- Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Farré R, Rodríguez-Lázaro MA, Gonzalez-Martin J, Castro P, Hospital T, Compta Y, Solana G, Gozal D, Otero J. Device for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Low-Resource Regions: Open-Source Description and Bench Test Evaluation. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11185417. [PMID: 36143070 PMCID: PMC9503864 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11185417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Negative (vacuum) pressure therapy promotes wound healing. However, commercially available devices are unaffordable to most potential users in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), limiting access to many patients who could benefit from this treatment. This study aimed to design and test a cheap and easy-to-build negative pressure device and provide its detailed open-source description, thereby enabling free replication. Methods: the negative pressure device was built using off-the-shelf materials available via e-commerce and was based on a small pump, a pressure transducer, and the simplest Arduino controller with a digital display (total retail cost ≤ 75 US$). The device allows the user to set any therapeutic range of intermittent negative pressure and has two independent safety mechanisms. The performance of the low-cost device was carefully tested on the bench using a phantom wound, producing a realistic exudate flow rate. Results: the device generates the pressure patterns set by the user (25–175 mmHg of vacuum pressure, 0–60 min periods) and can drain exudate flows within the clinical range (up to 1 L/h). Conclusions: a novel, low-cost, easy-to-build negative pressure device for wound healing displays excellent technical performance. The open-source hardware description provided here, which allows for free replication and use in LMICs, will facilitate the application and wider utilization of this therapy to patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Farré
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Institut Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - Miguel A. Rodríguez-Lázaro
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julian Gonzalez-Martin
- Microbiology Department-CDB, Hospital Clinic-ISGlobal-University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER of Infectiuos Diseases (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Castro
- Institut Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Intensive Care Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Clínic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Teresa Hospital
- Intensive Care Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Clínic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yaroslau Compta
- Institut Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociències, Service of Neurology, Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Unit, Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Neurociències, Maeztu Center, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gorka Solana
- Faculdade de Engenharias e Tecnologias, Universidade Save, Maxixe, Mozambique
| | - David Gozal
- Department of Child Health, The University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - Jorge Otero
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Farré R, Gozal D, Nguyen VN, Pearce JM, Dinh-Xuan AT. Open-Source Hardware May Address the Shortage in Medical Devices for Patients with Low-Income and Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Low-Resource Countries. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12091498. [PMID: 36143283 PMCID: PMC9502622 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12091498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Respiratory diseases pose an increasing socio-economic burden worldwide given their high prevalence and their elevated morbidity and mortality. Medical devices play an important role in managing acute and chronic respiratory failure, including diagnosis, monitoring, and providing artificial ventilation. Current commercially available respiratory devices are very effective but, given their cost, are unaffordable for most patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Herein, we focus on a relatively new design option—the open-source hardware approach—that, if implemented, will contribute to providing low-cost respiratory medical devices for many patients in LMICs, particularly those without full medical insurance coverage. Open source reflects a set of approaches to conceive and distribute the comprehensive technical information required for building devices. The open-source approach enables free and unrestricted use of the know-how to replicate and manufacture the device or modify its design for improvements or adaptation to different clinical settings or personalized treatments. We describe recent examples of open-source devices for diagnosis/monitoring (measuring inspiratory/expiratory pressures or flow and volume in mechanical ventilators) and for therapy (non-invasive ventilators for adults and continuous positive airway pressure support for infants) that enable building simple, low-cost (hence, affordable), and high-performance solutions for patients in LMICs. Finally, we argue that the common practice of approving clinical trials by the local hospital ethics board can be expanded to ensure patient safety by reviewing, inspecting, and approving open hardware for medical application to maximize the innovation and deployment rate of medical technologies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Farré
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Institut Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - David Gozal
- Department of Child Health, The University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
| | - Viet-Nhung Nguyen
- National Tuberculosis Program, 463 Hoang Hoa Tham, Vinh Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi 118000, Vietnam
| | - Joshua M. Pearce
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Ivey Business School, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B9, Canada
| | - Anh Tuan Dinh-Xuan
- Service de Physiologie-Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Cochin, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), 75014 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zech N, Scharl L, Seemann M, Pfeifer M, Hansen E. Nocebo Effects of Clinical Communication and Placebo Effects of Positive Suggestions on Respiratory Muscle Strength. Front Psychol 2022; 13:825839. [PMID: 35360592 PMCID: PMC8962828 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.825839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction:The effects of specific suggestions are usually studied by measuring parameters that are directly addressed by these suggestions. We recently proposed the use of a uniform, unrelated, and objective measure like maximal muscle strength that allows comparison of suggestions to avoid nocebo effects and thus to improve communication. Since reduced breathing strength might impair respiration and increase the risk of post-operative pulmonary complications, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the suggestions on respiratory muscle power. Both the identification and neutralization of negative suggestions in the clinical context and stimulating suggestions could improve breathing force, a predictor of physical fitness and convalescence.MethodsIn 50 healthy, adult volunteers, respiratory muscle strength was measured by maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures, as well as by maximal inspiratory and expiratory flows. Baseline was compared to values after application of eleven suggestions, five out of clinical context, including memory of negative or positive past, risk information for informed consent, and a non-verbal suggestion. Six stimulating suggestions included self-affirmation, empowering words, a heroic mirror image, and an imagination.ResultsAll suggestions showed an impact on respiratory muscle strength, indicating placebo and nocebo effects. No single parameter could represent the breathing force in its complexity, however, trends and different specific aspects of it were measured. The strongest reaction was observed with the recall of a previous negative situation resulting in a reduction in expiratory flow to 96.1% of baseline (p = 0.041). After risk information, a decrease was observed in three of the parameters, with the highest extend in expiratory pressure by 4.4%. This nocebo effect was neutralized by adding positive aspects to the risk information. Every intended strengthening suggestion resulted in statistically significant increases of at least one parameter, with changes of up to 10% (e.g., MEP 110.3%, p = 0.001), indicating placebo effects. Here, expiration was more affected than inspiration. Sex was the only influencing factor reaching statistical significance, with stronger reactions in women.ConclusionRespiratory muscle strength proved to be sensitive to suggestions with clinical context, as well as suggestions intended for stimulation. With this objective measurement, evaluation, and comparison of different suggestions is possible to help avoid nocebo effects. The demonstrated effect of supporting suggestions can be followed up and used in clinical practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nina Zech
- Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Nina Zech,
| | - Leoni Scharl
- Department of Pediatrics, RoMed Klinikum Rosenheim, Rosenheim, Germany
| | - Milena Seemann
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Agaplesion Diakonieklinikum Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Pfeifer
- Department of Internal Medicine II (Cardiology and Pulmonology), University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ernil Hansen
- Department of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|