An oxygen valve firm has refused to hand over the blueprint of their device which could be produced en-masse with the help of a 3D printer

An Italian hospital that ran out of life-saving equipment for coronavirus patients was saved by a ‘hero’ engineer who used cutting-edge technology to design oxygen valves within a matter of hours.

At least 10 lives were saved when technician Christian Fracassi came to the aid of an overwhelmed Brescia hospital that ran out of breathing tubes for an intensive care machine on Saturday. Doctors raised the alarm after their regular supplier said they could not produce the valves on time – forcing them to come up with an alternative solution.

With the help of the editor of a local newspaper Giornale di Brescia and tech expert Massimo Temporelli, doctors launched a search for a 3D printer – a devise that produces three dimensional objects from computer designs.



Word soon reached Fracassi, a pharmaceutical company boss in possession of the coveted machine. He immediately brought his device to the hospital and, in just a few hours, redesigned and then produced the missing piece.


A hospital in Brescia, Italy, ran out of respiratory valves needed to pump oxygen from intensive car machines (Picture: Cristian Fracassi)

Now, despite the country battling an unprecedented health crisis, there is potential for a legal battle with local media reporting that the manufacturers of the valves are refusing to share their blue print for further production and could potentially sue for copyright breaches.

‘I have lawyers who are evaluating the matter, I am not dealing with it personally because I prefer to devote myself to this [the 3D designs]’ Fracassi told news outlet TPI.

‘In any case, I am holding my hands because in a world where money matters more than someone’s health, nothing else can be done’ he said.

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Cristian Fracassi used a 3D printer to redesign and produce oxygen valves that saved the lives of coronavirus patients (Picture: Cristian Fracassi)

Fracassi is hopeful he has not violated laws given the emergency posed by coronavirus. A total of 1,809 people have now died of Covid-19 in Italy, the hardest-hit country in Europe.

However, he admits this is a ‘thin thread’ that might not tug at the heartstrings of the multinational manufactures, who are based in Luxembourg.

The valves he produced worked on 10 patients at the overstretched hospital, and the engineer is in the process of creating 100 more. But Fracassi says he is not sure how long the they will last or whether they are reusable, as it is possible sterilisation may damage them.

His team are testing out three different designs after failing to secure the original blueprints. The country is grappling with a medical equipment shortage as the number of coronavirus cases continue to surge and 3D printing could off a solution to broken supply chains.

However, Fracassi fears the valve manufactures ‘cutting his head off’ if there was a large-scale demand for his 3D printed devices, ‘because it would be like ruining the market.’

Christian Fracassi, left, designed and 3D printed the vital missing breathing valve (Picture: Christian Fracassi)

He has been flooded with praise on social media for his actions, but in a humble Facebook post he asked people not to call him a ‘genius’ or a ‘hero’.

He wrote: ‘There were people in danger of life, and we acted. Period.

Now, with a cold mind, let’s think. Firstly, don’t call us, as some have, heroes. Sure, people were about to die, but we only did our duty. Refusing would not have been a cowardly act, but murderous.



‘But now let us also silence words that are flying beyond our intentions, and beyond our control: we have no intention of profit on this situation, we are not going to use the designs or product beyond the strict need for us forced to act, we are not going to spread the drawing.

‘We simply want this story to remain only one thing: the community, made of a hospital, a newspaper, a team of professionals, made a race against time and saved lives. That’s it.’

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