News PC Vendor Maingear to Manufacture Low-Cost Ventilators

[Olle P]

... I'm sure a lot of developing countries don't use the kind of high-end models that most US hospitals are accustomed to buying.

... many people with covid-19 can still breathe and talk fine despite their O2 saturation level being at extremely low (~70%) levels, no mechanical assistance required...
... the standard to put people on respirators for previously known illnesses has been 93%, so many covid-19 patients automatically get put on respirators despite not actually needing help with anything a respirator can actually help with.

In most of Africa lack of respirators is a much lesser problem than the lack of medical grade oxygen for regular care.
The number one treatment is to provide the patient with extra oxygen to breath in!
Then, if the condidtion gets worse, more oxygen can be provided and breathing helped by using CPAP and/or BiPAP.
Only as a final resort the oxygen is provided by a respirator.

I can't find a single article written... from anybody working in the thick of things, ...

Not surprising, since they're busy working in the thick of things. They must rest the few hours they're not treating patients.

 

[bit_user]

Not surprising, since they're busy working in the thick of things. They must rest the few hours they're not treating patients.

The information he wanted is available, as later cited.

And the problems with relying on only firsthand accounts are two-fold:

1. inability for the reader to verify who the author is or what they claim.
2. a small sample size of accounts can misrepresent the broader situation.

That's why these individual accounts he wanted are no substitute for quality journalism.

 

[bit_user]

As I said before, I'm actually not cynical about this, but I do harbor a certain degree of skepticism. With that being said, here's my take on the update.

"... We are not overthinking this.”

Uh, under-thinking it is also not good.

As for how Maingear expects to fit into an already stressed ventilator market with larger companies looking to achieve the same goal, Santos told us “Companies, like Tesla and GM, do not have experience with medical devices either...Dyson primarily makes vacuums, fans and hairdryers; Tesla makes electric vehicles, batteries, and solar roofs; GM builds cars...

This is just naive. I can only speak to the case of GM, but I know they partnered with Ventech, in order to build more units of an existing, tested, FDA-approved, and proven design.

Santos did acknowledge to us that the company doesn’t currently have any buyers lined up, nor is it in a position to donate the ventilators.

Oops. Somehow, I think the developing world is going to be served by even lower-cost options. Presumably, the big guys already have the US market sewn up. So, he might find trouble landing these anywhere.

Still, I'd rather that folks like Maingear are ready to step in to fill a gap, should one exist, than not. My hope is simply that their product isn't needed. Certainly, they're putting in more effort to help than most of us.

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, it was debunked. The hemoglobin thing is fake news. That's why you can't find it reported from any reputable source.

You are right, it was not factual. Surprising, because my source from among the mod team here on that is generally very reliable and doesn't tend to relay unsubstantiated information, but with a situation like this one that is constantly fluid I think it's a given that there are a lot of room for exactly that kind of thing to happen. I don't agree that twitter and Youtube CAN'T be reputable sources. There are PLENTY of reputable people and entities that post to those mediums. But I also agree that there are FAR more fake sources of data and information, as we see quite often when it comes to everybody and their brothers thinking they are reputable hardware reviewers on there, so again, not that surprising but still surprising that this team member got spoofed and myself along with him.

It's makes me really angry to see that kind of crap going on though. This situation is awful enough, by miles and miles, without anybody doing crap like that.

 

[Darkbreeze]

quality journalism.

Haven't seen any of THAT, in years. Well, not much of it anyhow.

 

[bit_user]

You are right, it was not factual.

Thanks for the follow-up.

I don't agree that twitter and Youtube CAN'T be reputable sources. There are PLENTY of reputable people and entities that post to those mediums.

I'm not saying 100% of the content on there is conspiracies and fake news, but videos or tweets from an untrusted source are just that - not trustworthy. It might be correct, but it's almost impossible to vet without supplemental information.