Fitbit has officially unveiled the Fitbit Flow, a new ventilator with FDA approval for use during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ventilator has been granted emergency use authorization by the FDA, meaning it can only be used to treat people during the current health crisis.
The Fitbit ventilator is based on the MIT E-Vent system, as well as specs provided by the U.K. government for ventilators to be used by hospitals in that country during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. It’s an automated resuscitator-style ventilator, which essentially replicates the function of the types of manual resuscitation bags used by paramedics and EMTs in the field.
This is a style of emergency ventilator that has become popular in light of the pandemic, in part because they can be built using relatively affordable and readily available components versus the standard style of medical ventilators healthcare facilities typically use. Fitbit says it believes that its design is particularly effective, with the right combination of sensors, automated alarms and other patient-monitoring features that supplement the automation of resuscitation bag pump.
“We saw an opportunity to rally our expertise in advanced sensor development, manufacturing, and our global supply chain to address the critical and ongoing need for ventilators and help make a difference in the global fight against this virus,” Fitbit’s CEO and co-founder James Park said in a statement.
Fitbit announced its ambitions to produce a ventilator last month after concerns emerged that there aren’t enough of the machines to treat all the patients who’ll need them during the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal reported that in April the US government had been scrambling to buy thousands of ventilators to deal with the crisis, but that demand for the machines had ended up being lower than expected. However, the ventilators may end up being needed if the virus spreads further, or due to other factors like the start of the influenza season later in the year, The Wall Street Journal notes.
