General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCan we make more ventilators?
It seems like one of the manufacturers that should have been at Trump's let's meet and greet business leaders presser
should have been one that makes ventilators
RandySF
(58,447 posts)and we can't get ventilators.
GreenPartyVoter
(72,377 posts)JustABozoOnThisBus
(23,315 posts)Or just beds and wifi?
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)converting factories to ventilator production is beyond me. He would get A's and praise for that from EVERYBODY.
It's a common discussion in medical and lay circles, and everything we see in Italy is telling us it will be necessary. Why the fuck nobody is moving on this is a great mystery, but certainly contributes to the sense of nobody being in charge. Set minimum weekly production targets and exercise some damn command and control, for fuck's sake. Make a war bond type issue if needed; I'll run right out and buy one.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)The capacity is there. The leadership to do it is not.
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)lapfog_1
(29,189 posts)many of which are likely manufactured in China.
Now would be the time for a domestic assembler of medical devices to check what the have in the warehouse and build out as many as possible in the next 7 to 10 days.
But that sounds a but on the fantasy side of things
janterry
(4,429 posts)crickets
(25,951 posts)Brother Buzz
(36,364 posts)So we should assume he's got that covered. But then again, what do they say about assuming certain things?
milestogo
(16,829 posts)and I heard that the Feds have asked if they can ramp up production so it can be used for coronavirus patients.
I have no idea what their answer was. But I imagine its not that easy to ramp up production so that you have more ventilators in a matter of weeks.
janterry
(4,429 posts)but yeah. I'm sure it's complicated
procon
(15,805 posts)funding into maximizing production. All hands on deck, 24/7 shifts, big overtime, employee hires and training, new machinery to ramp up output.
During WWII my grandpa's small factory had a handful of workers that made boilers for home heating, then the govt came calling and they were mandated to retool to make boilers for Navy ships as part of the war effort.
Trump could use the same existing laws to compel companies to ramp up production. He wont because he's scared those businesses will criticize him and make him look bad.
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)We don't even know how much of what is in our strategic stockpiles right now and they are going to be very important soon.
Has anybody heard anything about that? We are supposed to have those stocked up and kept in secret places for times like these which is why they are called strategic.
Or did the money for the stockpiles go to some corporate GOP, wealthy folks thing? I wouldn't be surprised.
janterry
(4,429 posts)How many ventilators does the stockpile have? Burel won't give a figure just says it's a lot. Some sources suggest that it's at least 4,000, and professional groups have trained respiratory care experts to use the machines.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/14/814121891/why-even-a-huge-medical-stockpile-will-be-of-limited-use-against-covid-19
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)We may need many times that number.
From what I know, we have about 75,000 available right now and may need 178,000 or more.
Four thousand is almost nothing if you consider it as a percentage of what is currently available.
Thanks for the link.
janterry
(4,429 posts)So, yeah. This terrifies me.
hlthe2b
(102,105 posts)I actually heard a former Obama admin emergency response person on MSNBC yesterday. throw out a figure very quickly, but I didn't catch it and the video was not archived.
Suffice it to say, the number will be insufficient to need.
Claritie Pixie
(2,199 posts)Limited number of people who know how to use one.
janterry
(4,429 posts)I suppose it's possible to train medics?
hlthe2b
(102,105 posts)nurse anesthetists, as some states will try to do with emergency streamlines for licensure/insurance, it won't likely be enough.
janterry
(4,429 posts)sadly, I live in Vermont. And we have exceedingly limited capacity, a small budget -
I hate to say it, but I'm scared.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Obviously, wed be better leaving it to Respiratory Therapists or trained nurses, but that might not be possible. Family can even be trained in a pinch. Hope it doesnt come to that.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,488 posts)are running at capacity and have put on extra shifts. That would be the moral and humanistic thing to do.
That, unfortunately is a dream world. They will only produce what's being ordered, and who knows what the hell that may be.
If we had an administration that was normal (like an Obama or Clinton one), they would be holding top-level meetings with all the crucial equipment and medical supply manufacturers and hold their feet to the fire to get-er-done. This is a national emergency and our government can use it's powers in many ways and provide funding to help those efforts.
The same applies to major hospital, lab and clinic corporations and we should be coordinating their preparations on a national level.
The fundamental problem is that vast sums of money need to be spent in preparation for treatment levels that we're no sure of, so that it's preemptive in nature. Big business is not into preemptive movements, they only deal in just-in-time (JIT) methods in order to insure their profits. JIT is not appropriate for this situation.
KY..........
flamingdem
(39,308 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,488 posts)We're asking a question for which there can be no valid answer because we currently have no clue how many people will contract this disease or if we did, there's no way to know what percentage will need a respirator or other treatment.
We must remember this is a brand-new virus to science and we have little published history on the nature of its spread in different cultures. We're learning everything on the fly.
To prevent massive numbers of deaths, our nation would need to take extreme preemptive measures to fund (and perhaps even force) the production of massive amounts of equipment and medical supplies. If we were very lucky, much of that stuff would not be used but it would not be wasted. If we were unlucky, it wouldn't be quite enough but at least we tried to do the right thing.
I don't believe America has the political will to do that and the GOP won't even talk about it because they would label it as "socialist" and laugh in our face.
KY..........
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)who actually have to seek care. Many patients who need O2, wont need a ventilator. Of course, many will.
I think more precisely, hope since I dont know we wont need millions of ventilators. Again, who knows and we should try to ramp up production.
If you want to read a plan for allocation of ventilators, read the NY State plan below from 2015. It even includes discussion of a lottery.
https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/task_force/reports_publications/docs/ventilator_guidelines.pdf
Personally, I wouldnt read it.
CanonRay
(14,080 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,488 posts)TIA........
CanonRay
(14,080 posts)50 miles to the next hospital
applegrove
(118,462 posts)they kept the older ones. I'm sure theumy did that.... almost sure.