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JFD ventilators set to tackle COVID-19 crisis

In response to the unprecedented global crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic JFD has used its experience in developing breathing apparatus to produce a new ventilator system, and is ready to supply up to 2,000 per week to help support medical professionals at a time when health services is under exceptional pressure.

The company is one of many that have responded to the government’s call for the design and production of ventilators to ease the strain on the NHS during the coronavirus crisis. It has developed the InVicto^TM system, which significantly reduces the use of O2 compared with other ventilators on the market – a factor that could prove crucial should O2 supplies tighten during the pandemic.

A sample of the system has been sent to the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for testing and a first set of trials have been completed with promising results. Once approved, InVicto ^TM can be used to provide breathing support in a variety of locations, including care home and pre-critical temporary wards – easing pressure on health care systems at a critical time.

JFD used its considerable experience in producing breathing apparatus, life support equipment and hyperbaric medical equipment in order to develop InVicto ^TM in a short timeframe and managing director Giovanni Corbetta said the team has been ‘working around the clock’ since the COVID-19 outbreak hit.

‘A key part of this project has been to take into account the likely pressures on O2 supply. Designing a ventilator with O2 consumption in mind enabled us to apply our wide range of skills in gas management and highly precise patient monitoring, which we bring from our diving systems and medical hyperbaric rescue capabilities,’ he added.

InVicto ^TM is based on an existing ventilator design for hyperbaric medical treatments, updated with modern monitoring technologies and numerical analysis that ensures the model meets the operational standards required for the treatment of COVID-19. Eoghan O’Lionaird, James Fisher’s chief executive, explained the company has a

‘unique perspective into how best to deliver oxygen to patients safely, effectively and efficiently’, adding: ‘Our new InVicto ^TM ventilator does this, not only helping to save lives but also preserving crucial oxygen reserves at a time when global supplies are under considerable strain.’

Read the full press release here.