A new type of ventilator developed in Carmarthenshire to treat coronavirus patients has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The device has been designed by Glangwili senior consultant Dr Rhys Thomas with the help of Maurice Clarke of CR Clarke & Co, an engineering company in Ammanford.

Dr Thomas, who was chosen as the Plaid Cymru candidate to fight the Carmarthen West and South Pembs constituency at UK and Welsh level at the last election, served seven tours of duty in Afghanistan, attending to seriously wounded personnel being brought into hospital by helicopter.

A dedicated sportsman, he has also made his mark on Tenby in the triathlon world competing three times at the Ironman Wales event.

After leaving the armed forces, Dr. Thomas decided to put the lessons he had learnt on the front line to good use by creating with his colleague, Dr Dindi Gill, the new enhanced Wales Air Ambulance Service.

The Covid CPAP machine helps patients to breathe more easily, and will now undergo clinical trials.

Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole has welcomed the news: “This is a fantastic example of medical and technical expertise coming together at a critical time to meet the formidable challenge of dealing with this terrible virus.

“Hywel Dda Health Board must be commended for their faith in facilitating the project during this crisis, which is unprecedented in our lifetime. It is encouraging to see the local business sector bringing innovation and entrepreneurship to the fore in this present crisis,” he added.

Dr. Thomas said he was ‘desperately concerned’ about the lack of intensive care unit (ICU) ventilators to deal with the inevitable pandemic.

“Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price challenged me to come up with a simpler but potentially as effective device, and put me in touch with Maurice Clarke of CR Clarke & Co – an engineering company specialising in thermoforming and plastic fabrication equipment,” he explained.

“After designing, constructing and trialling several prototypes in just three days, we came up with a device that worked perfectly. It is simple and robust and specifically designed to work against Covid virus in a contagious environment.

“Although it won’t replace an ICU ventilator, the majority of patients won’t need intensive care if they are treated with this ventilator first, releasing ICU ventilators for more serious Covid-19 cases and other general medical cases.

“The machine has other benefits in that it will clean the room of viral particles and only supply purified air to the patient. The patient can self-care as specialist nurses are not required, releasing them for other duties,” he continued.

Professor Keir Lewis, Respiratory Lead for Hywel Dda, added: “This potentially promising CPAP machine now has the appropriate plans and support across Wales to undergo a rapid and careful evaluation with patients and we await the outcome of these trials with interest.”