Saving newborns and COVID victims, one breath at a time

At Brigham Young University, we believe that belief enhances inquiry, study amplifies faith, and revelation leads to rich understanding. When faith and reason are paired together to help others, life-changing discoveries are made and, in this case, lifesaving inventions are created.

Thanks to a team of BYU students and recent graduates, a lifesaving NeoLife Ventilator was created to assist newborns who struggle to breathe. It has also been adapted for COVID-19 patients in the wake of a worldwide pandemic. The team, who spent more than a year working with doctors and engineers and conducting research in Cambodia and Uganda for an Engineering Capstone project, created a unique mechanical design that includes an internal air pump and battery power that can be used anywhere it’s needed, from intensive care units to makeshift hospitals. Funded by the BYU Ballard Center for Social Impact, the compact, lightweight, and low-cost machine was originally designed as a sustainable solution for infants in developing countries.

“We spent many days in the hospitals getting to see the mothers and the fathers and the infants that were in the nurseries there,” says Kadie Kovach, a BYU public health major who traveled to East Africa to conduct research for the ventilator project. It’s estimated that 33,000 newborns die of respiratory issues each year in Africa alone. “We asked [the doctors and nurses] what they needed, and this machine was specifically designed for developing nations. It is low cost and exactly what they need.”

“About 10 percent of all babies need help making the transition to breathing air,” says Erica Palmer, a BYU communications graduate who helped prototype the initial product with her husband Kindall. “Really those first few hours after birth are crucial. They often just need a little bit of extra support, and they can go on to lead healthy lives.” After the birth of Erica and Kindall’s first child, their son began to have trouble breathing and had to be placed on a ventilator machine. This increased the couple's commitment to the project and deepened Erica’s compassion for other mothers around the world with their own newborns in need of similar, lifesaving help at birth.

The NeoLife Ventilator is a simplified CPAP machine with ventilation that can potentially save more than 80,000 babies each year who suffer from breathing issues like apnea, asphyxia, infection, and immature lungs. The Palmers went on to found Neonatal Rescue, a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes affordable ventilators and trains local healhcare providers on how to use and maintain them. “Our goal is not to simply drop off a ventilator and leave; we aim to change the healthcare systems and empower the patients and healthcare providers in the countries we visit.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping the globe, Erica and Kindall had an epiphany: their design could be adapted to help coronavirus victims. They quickly adapted the design for adults. Since receiving official emergency FDA approval during the pandemic, their AdultLife Ventilator manufacturing has increased, and the devices are being distributed to even more hospitals and organizations in need. “I’m so grateful that we have learned everything we’ve learned to be able to put us in a position today to respond to COVID-19. We hope to be part of the solution,” Erica Palmer says.

Learn more about Neonatal Rescue.

Learn more about the BYU Ballard Center for Social Impact.