PufferFish is a rapidly
manufacturable
open-source
full-featured ventilator
We are a group of scientists, engineers and clinicians who are dedicated to fighting the COVID-19 health crisis. PezGlobo is an inter-university partnership between Stanford University, Brown University and University of Utah with industrial partners across the globe including Waymo, Blackrock Microsystems and Bharat Forge.
DISCLAIMER: Currently, Pufferfish is not an FDA approved medical device. We are in the process of FDA EUA submission. Please read the permissive license at bottom of the page. By reading further, you agree to the conditions listed in the Permissive license document.
Pufferfish
is an open-source full-featured ICU ventilator designed with rapid manufacturability in mind. We directly engage with international teams and manufacturing partners and work collectively towards delivering treatment options including high flow oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation to communities that have limited or no access to these life-saving interventions during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pufferfish can currently support VC-AC, PC-AC, VC-SIMV, PC-SIMV and PSV/CPAP modes. Adaptive modes are currently being added.
PezGlobo Global Team
What is Pufferfish?
Pufferfish is an open-source, full-featured ICU ventilator. It is the result of a communal effort to design a solution that is low-cost, can be manufactured rapidly and is clinically relevant for COVID-19 patients. With peak flow rate above 300 l/min, Pufferfish can be used to provide both invasive and noninvasive ventilation as well as high flow oxygen therapy.
How Does It Work?
Pufferfish in its current implementation uses compressed air and oxygen from the wall or cylinders. Flow of air and oxygen are controlled by two proportional valves to deliver the set flow or pressure at selected FiO2. The proportional valve can be either an off-the-shelf high flow proportional solenoid valve, or when supply is limited, a linear actuator driven pinch valve that we have developed, which can deliver over 180 l/min of flow with 60 ms rise time at supply pressure of 15 psi (currently tested for continuous operation of 2.6 M cycles without degradation in performance). Multiple flow and pressure sensors are used and read at > 500 Hz to allow precise feedback control and adequate monitoring. Low level control is implemented on a microcontroller whereas UI is handled by an industrial computer running Linux. Thanks to the modularity of the system, a blower option is also being explored to allow operation without compressed air.
How Does one interact with the Pufferfish?
Clinicians have to make decisions on the fly to support patients on mechanical ventilators. Thus the interface (UI/UX) used to set parameters for clinical use require careful design that is rigorously tested. In partnerships with UI/UX designers, clinicians and graphic illustrators, we have developed an easy to use interface for Pufferfish. The interface provides a comprehensive yet easy to use touch screen based platform to operate Pufferfish. The video provides a quick overview of the interface for operating Pufferfish in Pressure Control, Volume Control mode and other alarm screens.
In near future, we will also be developing online tools for training programs for clinicians.
Pufferfish Configurations
Below are a few of the possible configurations Pufferfish could be used in field settings.
Pufferfish w/ Wall Air + O2
Pufferfish w/ Tank Air + O2
Pufferfish Invasive Ventilation
Pufferfish High Flow Oxygen Therapy and
Non-Invasive Ventilation
Join the PezGlobo global community
As an open-source hardware project, we look forward to engaging with you in supporting efforts to bring critical care solutions to people that need them the most. Teams across the world are already engaged and Pufferfish local teams have already sprung into action in India, Nepal and Kenya. Let’s build a better future together.
To start a local Pufferfish team - write to us at pezglobo.pufferfish@gmail.com
Pufferfish India, Bharat Forge
Pufferfish Nepal, National Innovation Center
Pufferfish Kenya, NJA Technologies Ltd.
Medical Disclaimer and permissive license
As we prepare to release all our work under an open-source hardware license - we also provide an interim permissive license that allows organizations to engage and build upon our work. The current permissive license is a placeholder for the open source Apache + SHL licenses we will be releasing all our work in.