MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a low-cost ventilator developed by the University of Minnesota and aimed at helping COVID-19 patients breathe.
The FDA on Wednesday authorized use of the device, known as the Coventor.
The compact device was quickly developed and designed by a team of university researchers, a medical school resident and an engineer.
The developers hope the Coventor will be used in clinical settings where traditional ventilators are unavailable.
Ventilators are used to help increase patients' blood oxygen levels and have been in short supply as hospitals deal with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
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