Ventec Life Systems
 | |
| Industry | Medical devices |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 January 2012  |
| Founder | Doug DeVries |
| Headquarters | Bothell, Washington |
Key people | Jim Alwan (Chief executive officer) Chris Brooks (Chief strategy officer) Doug DeVries (Chief technology officer)[1] |
| Products | VOCSN |
| Website | www |
Ventec Life Systems is an American medical device company based in Bothell, Washington.
History
[edit]Ventec Life Systems was founded in Bothell, Washington, a suburb of Seattle,[2] by Doug DeVries.[3] According to the New York Times, Ventec is known for its VOCSN model, which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2017. The VOCSN is the size of a large toaster oven, and combines a number of functions that had previously been performed by several machines to pump air into the lungs, suction out secretions, and produce oxygen when a central oxygen line is not available. It is used in critical-care hospital units and in home care.[4] Jim Alwan is the CEO of Ventec[5] and the Chief Strategy Officer of the company is Chris Brooks.[6]
VOCSN
[edit]Ventec developed the VOCSN unified respiratory system, which is a portable personal medical device that includes a ventilator, 6 L/min portable oxygen concentrator, cough assist, suction, and nebulization therapies for the patient.[7] The name of the device is an acronym derived from the names of these five functions.[8] It received FDA approval in April 2017,[9] and began to roll out in 2018.[10][11] The weight of the device is about eighteen pounds.[12] It is designed for use by both children and adults to treat conditions such as muscular degeneration, spinal cord injury, and underdeveloped lungs.[13] As of 2017 it was medically cleared for use in the US and Japan.[14] According to NBC News, its ventilators are transportable and include advanced data monitoring, as well as internal controls to make the most of oxygen consumption. The five-in-one technology compresses 55 pounds of equipment into 18 pounds, and it has a nine-hour battery life.[15]
COVID-19 support
[edit]On March 21, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, General Motors announced a partnership with Ventec Life Systems to produce ventilators. The partnership was expected to build 10,000 ventilators per month at GM's facilities in Kokomo, Indiana, using Ventec's VOCSN platform.[16][17] Ventec is one of twelve worldwide manufacturers of ventilators.[18] However, the partnership between Ventec and GM quickly received a $489 million government contract to deliver 30,000 VOCSN Critical Care Ventilators to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The delivered the first critical care ventilators to medical professionals that month, producing one ventilator every seven minutes in an effort the New Yorker called a "fighter jet in a race with prop planes".[19][20][21][22] The partnership was named one of the 2020 "Top 10 Most Innovative Joint Ventures" by FastCompany.[23]
References
[edit]- ^ "Executive Team & Board of Directors".
- ^ "Ventec Life Systems". www.venteclife.com. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
- ^ "Ventec Life Systems raises $13M to scale one-of-a-kind portable life support device into new markets". Geekwire. 15 May 2018.
- ^ Boudette, Neal E.; Jacobs, Andrew (March 30, 2020). "Inside G.M.'s Race to Build Ventilators, Before Trump's Attack". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ventec Life Systems Appoints Jim Alwan as President and Chief Executive Officer". 8 March 2021.
- ^ "As GM rushes to start ventilator production, FEMA balks at cost".
- ^ "FDA Clears Ventecs Five-In-One Portable Respiratory Device". www.meddeviceonline.com.
- ^ "This Portable Life Support Machine Can Do It All". Bloomberg.com. 25 May 2017.
- ^ "VOCSN: 'Not just another ventilator' - HME News". www.hmenews.com.
- ^ "CMS proposal increases visibility of multi-function vents - HME News". www.hmenews.com.
- ^ "Frost & Sullivan Innovation Award Goes to VOCSN - RT". RT. 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Bothell startup's portable life-support device takes a weight off patients". The Seattle Times. 7 May 2017.
- ^ "FDA clears Ventec Life Systems' VOCSN portable life support device". www.fiercebiotech.com. FierceBiotech. 12 April 2017.
- ^ "5-in-1 Portable Respiratory Device for COPD, VOCSN, Coming into Use". 12 April 2017.
- ^ "A small Seattle firm is on the front lines of the coronavirus fight". NBC News.
- ^ Baker, Geoff (March 27, 2020). "Trump orders GM to make ventilators for coronavirus fight after it agreed to produce them with Bothell's Ventec". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ "GM will make ventilators as the coronavirus pandemic rages and hospitals face unprecedented stress". Business Insider. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ "CEO of ventilator maker speaks out as Trump invokes Defense Production Act". NBC News.
- ^ "The Engineers Takign on the Ventilator Shortage". The New Yorker. May 18, 2020.
- ^ "How GM and Ford switched out pickup trucks for breathing machines". 15 April 2020.
- ^ "The Race to Make Ventilators is Not Like World War II".
- ^ Boudette, Neal E.; Jacobs, Andrew (30 March 2020). "Inside G.M.'s Race to Build Ventilators, Before Trump's Attack". The New York Times.
- ^ "The 10 most innovative joint ventures of 2021". 9 March 2021.