Mercedes F1 Team Helped Build CPAP Devices That Could Reduce The Need For Ventilators During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Mercedes Formula One team is working with the University College London engineers and UCLH clinicians to build Continuous  Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices that can be used to treat COVID-19 patients without the need for a ventilator.  

A small number of the CPAP devices have been sent to UCLH and a few other hospitals around London to start trials.  If they go well, Mercedes-AMG-HPP could produce up to 1,000 CPAP machines per day.  If it works out, this will help keep some COVID-19 patients out of the ICU (intensive care unit). CPAP machines are also much less invasive compared to ventilators as well.

China and Italy have both used CPAP machines to treat COVID-19 patients.  The UK and quite a few other countries are short on ventilators so this could help significantly reduce the need for ventilators as long as social distancing efforts have delayed the surge enough to allow some time to get them produced.  This is why you are currently staying at home, and if more companies like this pull through it could really make a difference in how things play out.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52087002

CPAP machines are typically used in both hospitals and also at home.  They use positive pressure to supply a mixture of air and oxygen into the mouth at a steady rate.  

Image credit:  Rachel Tayse under CC2.0