COVID-19: Vizag Naval Dockyard develops ingenious design for oxygen supply

The Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam has designed an apparatus to supply oxygen to multiple patients at a time, which could prove helpful in a contingency created by COVID-19 spread.

Visakhapatnam is the base of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. The biggest city of Andhra Pradesh has so far recorded six COVID-19 positive cases.

The Navy personnel from the ENC have developed a ‘Portable Multi-feed Oxygen Manifold (MOM)’ using a six-way radial header fitted to a single cylinder.

“This innovative system would enable one oxygen bottle supply to six patients at the same time, thereby enabling critical care management of a larger number of COVID-19 patients using the existing limited resources,” Navy official said.

After successful trials, the Naval Dockyard has commenced manufacturing of 10 portable MOM with two six-way radial headers which can cater for 120 patients at even makeshift locations for COVID-19 treatment.

Oxygen Supply apparatus developed by Naval Dockyard at Visakhapatnam

A typical Oxygen providing facility at hospitals comprises of an Oxygen cylinder feeding only one patient through a Venturi mask arrangement. Because of the growing cases of the COVID-19 pandemic, ventilator support could be required for many patients. But experts opine that the existing intensive medical facilities in the country are inadequate to cater for such large-scale requirements.

A need was therefore felt to design a suitable portable arrangement that could provide Oxygen through masks to several needy patients using a single cylinder during emergencies.

The set up was made operational by making a Fine Adjustment Reducer and specific adapters of requisite dimensions to connect the Oxygen cylinder and the portable MOM.

Preliminary trials of the entire assembly were conducted at the MI Room of Naval Dockyard, followed by rapid trials at the Naval Hospital INHS Kalyani in Visakhapatnam where the portable MOM was successfully set up within 30 minutes, Navy officials said.