Progress on the Glostavent Project

The Glostavent project was initiated because modern anaesthetic machines have become so sophisticated and complex that at #20-#40,000 each, they are now no longer affordable in most developing countries. Moreover, they are not designed for use in adverse environments or where the supply of electricity or oxygen may be interrupted without warning, as this will immediately render them totally unworkable with catastrophic results. Furthermore, they require a much higher standard of maintenance and servicing than is likely to be available in these situations. For this reason, the supply of unsuitable and over sophisticated anaesthetic equipment to the developing world, has consistently been shown to result in failure and to be an expensive waste of resources. In order to reverse this process and to provide aid for our colleagues which represents value for money, a completely new anaesthetic machine called the Glostavent has been designed specifically to overcome the difficulties encountered by those working in unfavourable conditions. At #7,500, it is much less expensive to purchase, it is more economical to run, easy to understand and operate and is robust requiring minimal servicing. It can be used on both adults and children, either as an anaesthetic machine in the operating room, or as a ventilator in an intensive care unit or recovery room. Most important of all, it can continue to function without interruption if the supply of oxygen or electricity is interrupted, situations which are all too common in the developing world and have been responsible for many avoidable tragedies. It incorporates 4 components, each of which has in its own right already proved valuable to anaesthetists in the developing world. They are the draw-over anaesthesia system, the Manley Multivent ventilator, the oxygen concentrator and the air compressor.