Not enough ventilators to handle a pandemic? Not by a long shot. That's the conclusion of a recent report in the New York Times (3/12/06) on one ramification if the bird flu virus hit the U.S., and an aspect of the story that directly relates to our industry.

U.S. hospitals have about 100,000 ventilators in operation, nearly all of which are pressed into service during a typical flu season. Yet the nation would need more than 700,000 to fulfill a government preparedness plan if the H5N1 bird flu virus became transmissible from person to person causing a pandemic, the Times reported.

One dimension of the story not covered in the report is the used medical equipment industry's possible role in responding to such a doomsday scenario. New ventilators, at $25,000 to $30,000 a pop are prohibitive to stockpile. But the average used, patient-ready ventilator is $1,000 to $6,000, with a few going for more, according to Don Grimm of Bemes, Inc., a DOTmed registered user.
DOTmed's dynamic online inventory of used medical equipment provides a cost-effective alternative that may be part of the solution. What's listed on DOTmed's online auction site in terms of ventilators, respirators and related equipment? More than 250 ventilators are on DOTmed along with more than two dozen respirators, plus other respiratory equipment as of this writing. (Get `em while you can!)

The demand for ventilators, respirators, and resuscitators, along with disposable versions of this equipment, and other critical respiratory treatment devices, could become significant in the event that bird flu stays in the news.

While DOTmed's online listings can't solve the problem alone, we provide a repository for those listings already on the market, along with a mechanism for redistribution of medical equipment worldwide that could be tapped in the event of an emergency.

The New York Times is the newspaper of record, and DOTmed is the website of record for the used medical equipment industry.

Keep us posted on your experiences as the market adjusts to the pressures of emergency preparedness and, if need be, response. And read DOTmed News for continuing coverage of bird flu worldwide. In the past few weeks alone we have reported on emerging cases in Sweden, Niger, Poland, Austria, Germany, China, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, and Burma.

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