Altus and Senai-RN develop mechanical respirators to combat COVID-19

Altus is engaged in projects for the production of equipment that can help to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these initiatives is already at an advanced stage and soon the solution will help to save countless lives in the hospitals all around different regions of Brazil. This is the mechanical respirator developed in partnership with the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Renewable Energies in Rio Grande do Norte (ISI-ER) – Northeast of Brazil, the device is in final testing phase awaiting Anvisa`s approval to help the National Health System in the fight against the Corona virus.

The device was designed by SENAI-RN’s engineers team, in partnership with Altus, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG). All equipment managed by Nexto Xpress PLC, a line of compact controllers from the Nexto Series, together with an HMI P2. Altus products technology also allows the respirator to have a database, volume and alarm system.

Why do we need mechanical respirators?

In estimation 5% of patients with COVID-19 end up suffering the so-called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The clinical picture occurs due to an excessive inflammatory body response to the virus that create a membrane in the lungs, which makes difficult to absorb oxygen and results in respiratory failure. What the mechanical respirator does is push the air into the patient, forcing the absorption of oxygen.

Until the beginning of the pandemic, Brazil had 61,000 respirators in operation. This number is expected to be grown by at least 25% by the end of the health crisis.