Calgary company develops, then donates life-saving resuscitators to Alberta Health Services

Conventional ventilators cost upwards of $30,000, a price tag that many small hospitals cannot afford. Without a ventilator, hospital staff must manually squeeze an airbag for a patient in respiratory distress, in some cases for several hours at a time.

In late August the Provost Health Centre asked the AHS for help, after they had to manually ventilate an intubated COVID-positive patient for approximately four hours. In response, Provost was one of the first centres in central Alberta to receive the new E-Vent, as part of a pilot project.

The E-Vent is a compact device that can automate squeezing an airbag, and it requires little training to operate.

Calgary engineering company Exergy Solutions developed the E-Vent, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and industry representatives. Once developed, Exergy donated 200 of the devices to Alberta Health Services.

“This could be a life-sustaining device for rural ER sites,” said Brant Poirier, area director for Alberta Health central zone – south.

Once the pilot project is complete, additional E-Vents will be sent to other rural sites that currently don’t have access to a ventilator.

Source: Red Deer Advocate