Amid the coronavirus pandemic there’s been a world-wide shortage of medical supplies. But necessity is the mother of invention, and in Maryland, some engineers are turning an item many mothers have at home into much-needed ventilators, WBAL reports.
A lot of moms have them just lying around in a closet, but a group of southern Maryland engineers are taking old breast pumps and retro fitting them into ventilators to hopefully help in the fight against the coronavirus. “Just as a mom, I spent a lot of time with those devices,” said engineer Brandi Gerstner, and that got her thinking if it was possible to turn the suction power of a breast pump around to expel air instead.