LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A group of college engineers say they've found a way to make emergency ventilators out of CPAP machines.
Auburn University researchers announced that they may have found a quick and inexpensive solution to the ventilator shortage. They've named their design "Re-invent." It can convert a CPAP machine into a ventilator in as little as four hours, and the cost is about $700 for extra parts.
Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machines are commonly used to help people with obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily during sleep, and there are plenty of them across the country.
The average ventilator costs $25,000 or more.
Auburn officials are exploring how to share the design with health care providers and potential manufacturers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering how to help health care providers use Re-invent to help increase the availability of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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