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Source: OutlookIndia.com post
Chennai, India – After making air braking systems for automobiles, city-based Brakes India Ltd is into making another life-saving device — a ventilator — to help fight coronavirus, a senior company official said on Tuesday.
Part of the TVS Group, Brakes India has started manufacturing a low-cost automated respiratory assist device – Sundaram Ventago – at its facility, joining hands with a clutch of partners like Sundaram Medical Foundation and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M), Kauvery Hospital, Madras Medical College and with guidance from global educational institutions like MIT, Boston.
“The idea came about to fulfil the immediate and increased demand for ventilators to treat Covid-19 patients,” Sriram Viji, Deputy Managing Director told IANS. “It all started about six weeks back. In collaboration with various organizations and institutions the final product is now ready.”
He said since there is lack of clarity on sourcing of ventilators by the government, it should specify its policy so that industries can scale up to meet the demand for such medical equipment.
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A lot of planning is needed to scale up the production, which is not possible at the last moment, Viji said.
Though the company has branded the ventilator as Sundaram Ventago, Viji said whether Brakes India will get into this line of business on its own or outsource the product are yet to be decided.
“When approached, IIT-M readily put in a team for the project. We looked at various guidelines, including USFDA norms. We had several conference calls with officials at MIT, Boston,” Viji said.
He said the design was evolved over multiple stages using a rapid product development model where a cross-functional team worked with top anesthesiologists, pulmonologists and intensivists from leading hospitals to integrate clinical inputs into the design. The device is rugged and uses frugal engineering principles.
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