Infographic: What Makes Ventilators Hard to Engineer

Ventilators are the last line of defense against the coronavirus. They keep patients alive by delivering oxygen—often pure oxygen—when their lungs fill with fluid. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 40 percent to 70 percent of COVID-19 critical care patients in China received ventilation. 

Hospitals around the world are facing shortages shortages of ventilators to treat COVID-19 patients. As manufacturers rise to the challenge, and shift their production lines to manufacturer ventilator, here are some of the key challenges engineers face when designing these vital machines.