NASA Develops Ventilator Prototype in 37 Days, Seeks FDA Approval

A prototype of a ventilator for treating coronavirus patients has been developed by NASA researchers in only 37 days.

Now, NASA is seeking expedited approval from the Food and Drug Administration for the prototype, The Hill is reporting.

The device is called VITAL (Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally). It was developed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, according to the space agency.

"We specialize in spacecraft, not medical-device manufacturing," said JPL Director Michael Watkins. "But excellent engineering, rigorous testing and rapid prototyping are some of our specialties. When people at JPL realized they might have what it takes to support the medical community and the broader community, they felt it was their duty to share their ingenuity, expertise and drive."

The device was tested at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

NASA is pushing for FDA approval for the device via an emergency authorization, which fast-tracks the process. NASA said VITAL can be built faster and maintained more easily than a traditional ventilator and has far fewer parts.

"Intensive care units are seeing COVID-19 patients who require highly dynamic ventilators," said Dr. J.D. Polk, NASA's chief health and medical officer. "The intention with VITAL is to decrease the likelihood patients will get to that advanced stage of the disease and require more advanced ventilator assistance."

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