Vecna Robotics is part of the growing number of companies combating the shortage of ventilators caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Waltham, Mass.-based Vecna Robotics, along with sister companies VecnaCares and Vecna Healthcare, partnered with MIT CSAIL, Toyota Research Institute and others to develop an automated manual resuscitator called Ventiv.
Ventiv can be used in conjunction with Ambu bags or all other self-inflating bags available off the shelf. Ventiv provides continuous pressure ventilation by automating the compression and relaxation of manual bags. Ambu bags, generically known as manual resuscitators or “self-inflating bags,” are hand-held devices used to provide positive pressure ventilation to patients who are not breathing adequately. Manual resuscitators are commonly found in ambulances and on crash carts in healthcare environments.