Coronavirus In Minnesota: Medtronic Gets FDA Approval To Offer Ventilator In United States
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A global medical device company headquartered in Minnesota announced on Wednesday that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to offer another ventilator in the United States.
Medtronic has been working to ramp up its ventilator production amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Now the Puritan Bennett 560 (PB560) ventilator will provide healthcare workers with another option for patients with COVID-19.
First introduced in 2010, and already available in 35 countries, Medtronic describes it as an "compact, lightweight and portable" option that works well in both "at home and clinical settings."
Medtronic says it is currently shipping more than 300 ventilators around the world per week. By the end of April they project that number will grow to 400 per week, and then 700 per week in May, and potentially 1,000 per week by the end of June.
In total, the company plans to generate 25,000 ventilators in the next six months.