Boussignac CPAP’s key role in the treatment of patients with COVID-19

Georges Boussignac’s revolutionary invention has helped change the course of the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) linked to COVID-19

The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of using pioneering medical equipment and devices to treat patients fighting this infectious disease, caused by a novel coronavirus. Using the correct devices for the treatment of severe hypoxemia, a complication associated with COVID-19, can be the difference between life and death in many patients.

The Boussignac CPAP is a revolutionary technique pioneered by the French inventor, Georges Boussignac. It offers respiratory assistance for patients, with spontaneous ventilation that enables the maintenance of pressure in the airways that is greater than the atmospheric pressure during the entire respiratory cycle. Boussignac CPAP is a non-invasive device that works by delivering a constant pressure to the airways without electricity or artificial ventilators. It is particularly useful in the epidemiological context. It can be used as soon as the patient develops the first clinical signs of respiratory difficulty requiring hospitalization, making it ideal for use with COVID-19.

The classic Boussignac system comprises a non-invasive ventilation mask with a fixation harness, Boussignac valve and associated accessories such as pressure manometer and nebulizer. The Boussignac CPAP works on a pressure-generating system based on the acceleration and collision of oxygen molecules with pressure depending on the flow rate: the higher the flow rate of gas the higher the pressure and vice-versa. To use Boussignac CPAP, connect the device to a 15 L/min flowmeter without top limit or to a 30 L/min flowmeter, so as to adapt the pressure to the needs of the patient.

For airborne diseases like COVID-19, it is preferable to treat the patient in a negative pressure room to control the dissemination of airborne pathogens. With COVID-19 patients, a respiratory filter or a heat and moisture exchanger filter must be connected between the mask and the Boussignac CPAP.

The Boussignac CPAP is extremely easy to set up and simple to operate. A nebulizer can be fitted between the mask and the filter to administer drugs if needed. It can deliver high levels of FiO2 with a limited consumption of oxygen.

The Boussignac CPAP allows the use of non-invasive ventilation for patients infected with the coronavirus. Less intubation means fewer machines are occupied and medical personnel are freed up to treat more serious cases. Georges Boussignac’s revolutionary invention has helped change the course of the management of acute respiratory distress syndromes (ARDS) linked to COVID-19, leading to CPAP oxygen therapy finding its place in the treatment of this novel virus.

Gesuino Mureddu

International Training Manager

Anaesthesia & Emergency

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd1urg_mJ6M&t=151s
https://www.pourquoidocteur.fr/Articles/Question-d-actu/31871-Coronavirus-systeme-ventilation-non-invasive-reduit-recours-respiration-artificielle
https://francais.medscape.com/voirarticle/3605845?nlid=134962_2401&src=WNL_mdplsnews_200410_MSCPEDIT_FR&uac=289938BR&faf=1
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georges-boussignac-0a1914168/detail/recent-activity/