CLEARWATER, Fla. -- A Clearwater healthcare manufacturer is sending 2,500 Flow-Safe II Disposable CPAP devices on a JetBlue flight to the state of New York for treating COVID-19 patients.
JetBlue is working with Mercury Medical and has donated this cargo shipment for these badly needed devices. The flight will leave late Tuesday morning.
With the current shortage of mechanical ICU ventilators, these CPAP devices can play an important role in meeting New York’s surge capacity to treat the influx of COVID-19 patients, according to Mercury Medical, the healthcare manufacturer behind the effort.
"We believe that this product can be used effectively on coronavirus patients with the goal of minimizing the need for mechanical ventilators, thus freeing them up to be used on more critical cases," according to John Gargaro, MD, Mercury Medical president and CEO.
The FDA recently issued guidelines indicating that BiPAP and CPAP devices can be used to effectively help treat COVID-19 patients dealing with respiratory issues.
CPAP therapy has been shown to be effective in preventing these patients from deteriorating to the point where they require mechanical ventilation, according to Mercury Medical.
