Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
“We Need to Solve This”: Colombia’s Race to Build a $1k Ventilator (vanityfair.com)
1 point by elijahparker on April 8, 2020 | hide | past | favorite | 1 comment



The data coming out of the UK on ventilator use is not reassuring at all. [1] It feels like we are treating a symptom of the coronavirus, and in practice ending up with 50% and higher mortalities. That these people would have died anyway, is not an excuse to rush forward with a technique that results in so many deaths.

Separate research from the SARS outbreak showed promise: "Now Viagra is being explored as a treatment for COVID-19. A pilot study in China is testing the drug in COVID-19 patients with breathing troubles who do not yet need mechanical breathing assistance." [2] "Like nitric oxide, Viagra, known generically as sildenafil, dilates blood vessels. The Chinese scientists investigating it believe it may help open the tiny vessels that draw oxygen from the lungs, allowing patients to overcome the respiratory distress that occurs in some cases of COVID-19."

[1]: https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/07/65-people-put-ventilators-wil... [2]: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-04-05/viagra-disc...




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: