UPDATE APRIL 10: VENTILATOR RAPID RESPONSE PROJECT GETS FDA THUMBS UP, PARTNERSHIPS, DONATIONS AND MORE

4/10/2020 0 Comments

We are pleased to announce that since we launched this project publicly a week ago we’ve been seeing a lot of activity. First, the FDA has confirmed that using a sleep apnea machine (CPAP/BiPAP) and connecting it to an endotracheal tube or face mask, while thoughtfully minimizing aerosolization, would provide a useful tool for doctors during this COVID-19 crisis, and emergency authorization is not needed.

Thankfully New York now seems to be through the worst of the infections, but we need to stay ahead of this problem for hospitals in cities like Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Detroit, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and other expected hot spots.

Doctors or hospitals can access via www.ventilatorsos.com a registry CPAP/BiPAP machines and a simple parts list that will allow them to use a standard endotracheal tube or face mask and add oxygen. Once they make the request, they will be sent PRE-VENT packages containing the equipment with simple instructions on how to configure the device, often with parts that they already have in the hospital. These devices are free and simple to deploy and use.

Currently we are shipping devices to hospitals that want to collaborate with us. We’re in various stages of partnerships with a variety of organizations, including University of California, Berkeley; University of California, San Francisco; and University of Miami. Additionally, health officials from other countries, like Brazil, have reached out.

We also are reaching out to the American Hospital Association anticipating that they will be able to direct hospitals across the nations to the registry at www.ventilatorsos.com so they can utilize the supply of devices that folks all over America have been donating.

We’re also getting a lot of offers for donations. So far, we’ve received about 2000 device donations through our website. We've also been asked to work with the DOD to contact VA hospitals to access an initial 500 devices through their system. Unlike insurance providers, the VA rolls over their sleep apnea machines every few years, so there appears there will be a very large supply of relatively new machines.

Meanwhile, we are actively working with a large logistics company to provide a solution to rapidly pick up home sleep apnea devices and deliver them to hospitals. It is our hope that a logistic company will also provide ready access to supply chains that can provide the additional parts needed by hospitals.

And finally, we’ve also been getting great coverage in the news media, with appearances on ABC7 News , KNTV/NBC News and KRON4 News as well as articles in publications including Wired, San Francisco Chronicle, TechCrunch, SF Business Times, SFGate, Forbes, FierceHealthcare, FierceElectronics, Yahoo Finance!.

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A VIABLE SOLUTION TO PROVIDE VENTILATORS TO AMERICANS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

4/3/2020 2 Comments

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We're all doing our part!

By Bryan Martel

America is facing an unprecedented health emergency right now and it’s about to get worse. Hospitals are being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients and they lack the necessary equipment to care for them all. Specifically, hospitals don’t have enough ventilators, which are critical devices that help patients breathe when they can’t do so on their own. The new coronavirus can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome, which means infected patients have trouble breathing and ventilators are needed to save their lives.