Compressed air meter from ifm in ventilator

The compressed air meter SD0550 from ifm is integrated into a ventilator from Ampcontrol. The device was designed in response to the COVID-19 crisis and implements the functionality of an ICU invasive ventilator.

The Covid-19 pandemic is taking the world's breath away - unfortunately in the truest sense of the word. The lung disease can lead to severe breathing problems, which in the worst case can only be treated with a ventilator.

The company Ampcontrol in New South Wales in Australia normally makes electrical solutions for the mining industry. In mid-March the state health authority contacted the company and asked if they could help to make ventilators for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. A team of engineers was immediately mobilised to work on the project. Eighteen days later, the first prototype was already available.

Ampcontrol has now been contracted to build a number of pre-production ventilators for extended clinical trials. In announcing the ventilator contract to Ampcontrol, NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said she was confident that should the ventilator prototype be successful in completing the pre-production phase, they could benefit patients in Australia and around the world.

​Did you know?
Mechanical ventilation not only ensures that a patient receives sufficient oxygen, but also helps to transport carbon dioxide, an exhaust gas, out of the lungs. A person who cannot breathe can retain carbon dioxide in the body, which may reach toxic levels.

The ventilators are equipped with industrial components, including ifm's compressed air meter SD0550 - actually designed for industrial and not for medical use. It helps to control the air pressure that is created when the patient breathes in and out. It was selected because of its fast reaction time and accuracy. What is of major importance for devices used in medicine is their cleanability: so the SD0550 can also be easily disinfected.

Thus, ifm has made a significant contribution to overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic through Ampcontrol’s ventilator project.