(Photo: Twitter)

Tesla accidentally sent C-PAP machine instead of ventilators

The founder and owner of the electric car company Tesla, Elon Musk, responds to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by donating much-needed ventilators. Tesla’s latest act of philanthropy backfires because they donated the wrong type of ventilator and the model isn’t powerful enough.

Musk announced that Tesla is planning on shifting its production from making electric cars to manufacturing ventilators but they might have overlooked a couple of factors. Tesla is working on shifting production to make ventilators from the parts they use for their electric vehicles.

Tesla needed time to produce the ventilators and decided it would be best to buy ventilators from a medical supply company, ResMed, to donate for now while they work to produce more. Tesla announced they will be donating 1,000 ventilators but the company failed to mention that the devices arent’s “full-fledged ventilators (or vents).”

We have extra FDA-approved ventilators. Will ship to hospitals worldwide within Tesla delivery regions. Device & shipping cost are free. Only requirement is that the vents are needed immediately for patients, not stored in a warehouse. Please me or @Tesla know.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2020

March 31 Musk tweeted that Tesla had “extra FDA-approved ventilators” ready to ship, announcing their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tesla’s questionable ventilators are more closely related to the design of a C-PAP device that is used for continuous positive airway pressure therapy that is commonly used for sleep apnea.

The C-PAP devices, also known as B-PAP or BiPAP machines, are made by ResMed help regulate oxygen flow but are not effective enough to fight the critical symptoms of COVID-19. Patients that are being treated for COVID-19 require ventilators with intubation (the insertion of tubes into the lungs of the patient.

Invasive ventilators are for worst case patients. Survival rate at that point is low, as Gov Cuomo has pointed out. Nonetheless, we start delivery of intratracheal Medtronic units in NYC tonight.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 2, 2020

Studies suggest that the use of a C-PAP machine could spread COVID-19 if the user is infected, in which the machine forcibly pump exhaled air out into the open that can infect other people. Musk claims that Tesla shipped the wrong ventilators for their donation and are working to solve the issue.