# 1.1. Purpose [![hackmd-github-sync-badge](https://hackmd.io/USfOxzAuTlOJsPpbmq5udw/badge)](https://hackmd.io/USfOxzAuTlOJsPpbmq5udw) **DISCLAIMER**: THE CONTENT DISCUSSED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS FOR THE DESIGN OF A VENTILATOR TO BE USED EXCLUSIVELY BY TRAINED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. ATTEMPTING TO USE A VENTILATOR OR ANY SIMILAR DEVICE WITHOUT MEDICAL SUPERVISION CAN RESULT IN DEATH OR PERMANENT DISABILITY. The purpose of this document is to serve as a guide towards the assessment and evaluation of available ***open source emergency ventilators*** in accordance with the global standards and requirements as disclosed by various healthcare organizations such as [Health Canada (HC)](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada.html), [Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency), [U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)](https://www.fda.gov/home), [Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)](https://www.tga.gov.au/) and open source regulatory organizations such as [Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA)](https://www.oshwa.org/). This document highlights requirements specific to design, development and use of emergency ventilators to treat patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure. It is a compilation of various open access information databases made available to provide guidance on rapid development of emergency ventilators by institutions such as: [Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)](https://www.aami.org/), [International Organization for Standardization (ISO)](https://www.iso.org/home.html), [International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)](https://webstore.ansi.org/sdo/IEC?gclid=CjwKCAjw74b7BRA_EiwAF8yHFJ1KAovnCx8vHMdv8dUa1VTEHQ9C8fUGWL4qQL-fNJde4feqWBi-fRoC7V0QAvD_BwE), [Medical Equipment Compliance Associates (MECA)](https://60601-1.com/) etc.