Suction Assisted 

Respiratory Mask


University of California, San Diego

Jacobs School of Engineering
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering


Sponsor: Dr. Jeremy Orr

Team: Daniel Ju, Naomi Chin, Satchel Birch, Yuhang Huang


Background

Dr. Jeremy E. Orr, the sponsor of the project, is a Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego. His work includes overseeing patients with respiratory failure that prevents the body from receiving the required amount of oxygen necessary to survive. To assist in breathing, patients are put on ventilators which pushes air in and out of the lungs. Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) offers patients the ability to receive oxygen through a mask that interfaces with the face. However, leaks are common with current NIV which compromises ventilator effectiveness and allows droplets to escape, potentially spreading infection. To combat NIV leaks, Dr. Orr has proposed and prototyped a suction assisted respiratory mask. 

At the mask-face interface, a vacuum suction is used to better maintain a seal to the patient’s face as well as evacuate any droplet leaks before they escape to the surroundings.

The prototype created by Dr. Orr maintains a seal to a flat surface with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) of 8 cmH2O. 

Proof of Concept from Dr. Jeremy Orr

Project Overview

The goal of the project is to design and manufacture an improved vacuum suction assisted respiratory mask that fits to a human face. The mask will be designed to fit the average face geometry with the intent of being able to conform to non-average geometries. The fit and seal will be tested on a synthetic human head form. Although the current project will be manufactured with fast prototyping techniques, the mask will be designed for the future advancement to mass production methods.

The functional requirements and constraints of the project are as follows:

Final Design