// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Ventec Life Systems say to the oxygen? You're a breath of fresh air.
 | |
| Industry | Medical devices |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1 January 2012  |
| Founder | Doug DeVries |
| Headquarters | Bothell, Washington |
Key people | Jim Alwan (Chief executive officer) Chris Brooks (Chief strategy officer) Doug DeVries (Chief technology officer)[1] |
| Products | VOCSN |
| Website | www |
Ventec Life Systems is an American medical device company based in Bothell, Washington.
History
[edit]Ventec Life Systems was founded in Bothell, Washington,[2] a suburb of Seattle, by Doug DeVries.[3] According to the New York Times, Ventec is known for its VOCSN model, which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2017. The VOCSN is the size of a large toaster oven, and combines a number of functions that had previously been performed by several machines to pump air into the lungs, suction out secretions, and produce oxygen when a central oxygen line is not available. It is used in critical-care hospital units and in home care.[4] DeVries was inspired to develop the VOCSN model after his father was diagnosed with ALS.[3] Jim Alwan is the CEO[5] and Chris Brooks is the Chief Strategy Officer.[6]
VOCSN
[edit]Ventec developed the VOCSN unified respiratory system, which is a portable personal medical device that includes a ventilator, 6 L/min portable oxygen concentrator, cough assist, suction, and nebulization therapies for the patient.[7] The name of the device is an acronym derived from the names of these five functions.[8] It received FDA approval in April 2017[9] and began to roll out in 2018.[10][11] The device weighs about 18 pounds.[12] It is designed for use by both children and adults to treat conditions such as muscular degeneration, spinal cord injury, and underdeveloped lungs.[13] As of 2017, it was medically cleared for use in the US and Japan.[14] According to NBC News, its ventilators are transportable and include advanced data monitoring, as well as internal controls to make the most of oxygen consumption. The five-in-one technology compresses 55 pounds of equipment into 18 pounds, and it has a nine-hour battery life.[15]
COVID-19 support
[edit]On March 21, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, General Motors announced a partnership with Ventec to produce ventilators.[16] The partnership was expected to build 10,000 ventilators per month at GM's facilities in Kokomo, Indiana, using Ventec's VOCSN platform.[17][18] Ventec is one of 12 worldwide manufacturers of ventilators.[19] The partnership between Ventec and GM quickly received a $489 million contract to deliver 30,000 VOCSN Critical Care Ventilators to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.[20] The first critical care ventilators were delivered to medical professionals that month, producing one ventilator every seven minutes in an effort the New Yorker called a "fighter jet in a race with prop planes".[21][22][23][24] Fast Company named the partnership one of "Top 10 Most Innovative Joint Ventures" in 2020.[25]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Executive Team & Board of Directors".
- ↑ MTEC. "Ventec Life Systems, Inc". mtec-sc.org. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
- 1 2 "Ventec Life Systems raises $13M to scale one-of-a-kind portable life support device into new markets". Geekwire. 15 May 2018.
- ↑ Boudette, Neal E.; Jacobs, Andrew (March 30, 2020). "Inside G.M.'s Race to Build Ventilators, Before Trump's Attack". The New York Times.
- ↑ "Ventec Life Systems Appoints Jim Alwan as President and Chief Executive Officer". 8 March 2021.
- ↑ "As GM rushes to start ventilator production, FEMA balks at cost".
- ↑ "FDA Clears Ventecs Five-In-One Portable Respiratory Device". www.meddeviceonline.com.
- ↑ "This Portable Life Support Machine Can Do It All". Bloomberg.com. 25 May 2017.
- ↑ "VOCSN: 'Not just another ventilator' - HME News". www.hmenews.com.
- ↑ "CMS proposal increases visibility of multi-function vents - HME News". www.hmenews.com.
- ↑ "Frost & Sullivan Innovation Award Goes to VOCSN - RT". RT. 8 October 2017.
- ↑ "Bothell startup's portable life-support device takes a weight off patients". The Seattle Times. 7 May 2017.
- ↑ "FDA clears Ventec Life Systems' VOCSN portable life support device". www.fiercebiotech.com. FierceBiotech. 12 April 2017.
- ↑ "5-in-1 Portable Respiratory Device for COPD, VOCSN, Coming into Use". 12 April 2017.
- ↑ "A small Seattle firm is on the front lines of the coronavirus fight". NBC News.
- ↑ "GM partners with Ventec to manufacture ventilators in response to coronavirus pandemic | Experience". www.jonesday.com. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
- ↑ Baker, Geoff (March 27, 2020). "Trump orders GM to make ventilators for coronavirus fight after it agreed to produce them with Bothell's Ventec". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ↑ "GM will make ventilators as the coronavirus pandemic rages and hospitals face unprecedented stress". Business Insider. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ↑ "CEO of ventilator maker speaks out as Trump invokes Defense Production Act". NBC News.
- ↑ Staff, R. T. (2020-04-16). "General Motors, Ventec Begin Production of V+Pro Ventilators". Respiratory Therapy. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
- ↑ "The Engineers Takign on the Ventilator Shortage". The New Yorker. May 18, 2020.
- ↑ "How GM and Ford switched out pickup trucks for breathing machines". 15 April 2020.
- ↑ "The Race to Make Ventilators is Not Like World War II".
- ↑ Boudette, Neal E.; Jacobs, Andrew (30 March 2020). "Inside G.M.'s Race to Build Ventilators, Before Trump's Attack". The New York Times.
- ↑ "The 10 most innovative joint ventures of 2021". 9 March 2021.