Many hospitals around the world currently have an alarming shortage of mechanical ventilators, which they can use to treat COVID-19 patients. Responding to this crisis, Belgian 3D printing company Materialise has developed a 3D-printable device that transforms standard equipment available in the majority of hospitals into a mask that can help coronavirus patients get the oxygen they desperately need into their lungs.

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The company’s smart solution promises to create high positive pressure in patients’ lungs without the use of a traditional ventilator. “The 3D-printed connector converts this standard equipment into a non-invasive PEEP mask that can be connected to [an] oxygen supply to facilitate breathing for coronavirus patients,” Bram Smits, external communication manager for Materialise, told Digital Trends. “This solution gives patients an extended period of time before mechanical ventilators are required for treatment, and helps transition them off ventilators earlier, freeing up these devices for patients in critical […]

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