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That's why medical experts are working to create makeshift ventilators out of continuous positive airway pressure — or CPAP — machines, which are used to help people with sleep apnea breathe.
But they say there's a problem: CPAP machines release used air into the space around them.
He partnered with a New York University team that figured out how to turn a CPAP machine into a safe-to-use ventilator. They developed attachments for the device to keep contaminated air from circulating in a room.
"They put a viral filter in the CPAP system, so that when they breathe out and go through that viral filter, they wouldn't be breathing that virus out," Serrador said.
He says the team also attached a blow dryer — like you'd find at a hair salon — to the machine, to help remove contaminated air that a patient would breathe out.
"Instead of blowing air, they're sucking air in," Serrador said.
Dr. Serrador says their tests were a success. The altered device was able to keep the virus contained.
Now they are working to get the altered CPAP machines tested in the field.
"Right now I'm talking to different clinicians and hospitals about whether they want to do some research on using it in the patient population and again confirm that's it's working for them," he said.
He says the upgrades to the CPAPs cost a few hundred dollars — a lot less expensive than a ventilator — and they are closer than ever to hitting the market.