By Samwel Doe Oum @samweldoe
Philips has received local emergency use authorizations to release its new Philips Respironics E30 ventilator in Kenya and assist in filling the critical hospital ventilation shortage.
The Philips Respironics E30 Ventilator has been verified and approved by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board – the regulatory body mandated to verify and approve medical devices in Kenya.
As of June 2020, the Ministry of Health indicated that Kenya had only 189 ventilators countrywide to treat critical care COVID 19 patients.
It is in response to this, and similar needs globally, that Philips quickly scaled production of its new Philips Respironics E30 ventilator as a readily available ventilation alternative during the COVID-19 crisis in situations where full-featured, critical care ventilators are not available.
“As COVID-19 continues to spread in Kenya, healthcare providers are working diligently to treat soaring numbers of patients at a time when there are too few ventilators to provide care,” said Prof. Wangari Siika, Associate Professor in Anaesthesia and Intensive care.
Speaking to Journalist during a webinar, Dr. Muthoni Ntonjira, Country Manager, Philips Kenya said the organization has up scaled production of the device since mid-April 2020, producing 15,000 units per week to free-up intensive care and critical care beds, while allowing healthcare workers with a wide range of skill sets to treat and monitor patients in clinical and field-hospital settings.
“The E30 ventilator is fit for purpose, specifically made for COVID-19 management. It is not a full- featured, critical care ICU ventilator, but has been developed keeping the needs of healthcare workers and COVID-19 patients in mind while also complying with medical device quality standards” stated Dr. Muthoni Ntonjira, Country Manager, Philips Kenya. “Our hope is that this ventilator will help to free-up ICU ventilators for use in treating the most severe patients and support the efforts being made by our Government and our clinical workforce.”
Studies continue to show that there is a strong association between people who are critically ill or dying and those with certain chronic conditions. The three most commonly associated chronic conditions are hypertension, diabetes and obesity, as well as lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive airways diseases. This supports the crucial need for local healthcare to scale up access to COVID-19 related interventions, as non-communicable diseases (NCD’S) such as cancers, diabetes and others account for 27 per cent of the total deaths and over 50 per cent of total hospital admissions in Kenya – putting the Kenyan population at unprecedented risk.
The E30 ventilator features include:
• The ability to use the device both invasively and non-invasively;
• Quick set-up and simple operations, allowing healthcare providers with a wide range of skill sets to treat and monitor patients in clinical and field-hospital settings;
• The ability to accept high-flow oxygen;
• Recommended circuit set-ups contain a bacterial/viral filter to minimise exposure for healthcare providers when used invasively or noninvasively with example accessories that may be used, such as a full-face, non-vented (without integrated leak) mask, or helmet;
• On-screen respiratory monitoring to measure and display vital ventilation type parameters such as pressure, tidal volume, respiratory rate, leak, and oxygen saturation, enabling clinicians to evaluate therapy effectiveness; and
• Visual and audible alarms to provide pertinent therapy information to healthcare providers.
