Representational image.

A kidney hospital in Gujarat developed a four-way multiplexer device to enhance the operational process of a ventilator.

As per reports, the multiplexer can split oxygen supply from a single- source ventilator to four patients through inspiratory limbs or pipes simultaneously.

The exhalation from the patient is taken by the expiratory limbs or pipes and merge into another set of multiplexer connected with the ventilator machine.

The device has been developed by the Ahmedabad-based Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC).

IKDRC director Vineet Mishra said that the device used to maintain the oxygenation levels and volume by adjusting the tidal volume level of the ventilator machine in use, without compromising on the quality of the ventilatory support offered.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the device can be quite useful for offering ventilator support to the critically ill coronavirus patients.

Coronavirus cases in India crossed the 18,000 mark on Tuesday morning with 18,601 cases, including 590 deaths.

The number of active cases is 14259 and 3251 people have been cured or discharged.

Over 2000 cases of coronavirus have been reported from the national capital of the country.

Delhi has the second highest number of coronavirus cases in the country after Maharashtra.

However, the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases calculated using growth over the past seven days indicates that India’s doubling rate for the week before lockdown was 3.4 and has improved to 7.5 as on Sunday

There are now 59 additional districts from 23 States/UTs that have not reported any fresh cases during the last 14 days.

Six new districts have recently been included in the list- Tripura’s Gomati, Goa’s North Goa, Gujarat’s Jamnagar and Morbi, and Rajasthan’s Dungarpur and Pali.