UK Doctors: Some Ventilators from China Could Kill Coronavirus Patients

• Several doctors from the United Kingdom have warned that the ventilators purchased from China could cause “significant patient harm, including death.”
• Doctors raised concerns over the machines’ “variable and unreliable” oxygen supply.
• Medical providers have called for “the withdrawal and replacement” of the ventilators.

Several doctors and medical providers from the United Kingdom have issued a warning against using the 250 ventilators purchased from China.

The group wrote in a letter obtained by NBC News that using these ventilators in hospitals could cause “significant patient harm, including death.”

The Shangrila 510 ventilator models from China were built by one of the country’s major ventilator manufacturers, Beijing Aeonmed Co. Ltd. The manufacturer is yet to respond to the issue.

The letter, which was addressed directly to a senior NHS official, cited concerns over the “basic” quality of the ventilators. Doctors said that the oxygen supply was “variable and unreliable.”

They added that the machines were unfamiliar to British doctors since they were built for ambulance use rather than hospital use.

The letter also called for “the withdrawal and replacement of these ventilators with devices better able to provide intensive care ventilation for our patients.”

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) told Newsweek that the said ventilators are not currently used in any hospitals and are only being kept as a reserve.

A government spokesperson assured Newsweek that “Ventilators need to pass robust regulatory tests to ensure they are up to standard before they’re delivered to NHS hospitals.”

The letter was dated April 13 — nine days after British cabinet ministers celebrated the purchase of equipment.

Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lanchester, said at the time, “I’d like to thank the Chinese government for their support in securing that capacity.”

Several governments have looked to China’s ability to produce and supply lifesaving equipment. But some countries also reported issues with medical equipment from China.

Finland and the Netherlands both reported that masks purchased from China did not meet the required standard in hospitals. Spain also questioned the accuracy of coronavirus testing kits purchased from Chinese manufacturers.

The Chinese government addressed the issue of counterfeit and faulty exports on April 15. Zhao Lijan, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, declared that they will “mete out punishment with zero tolerance” to companies found exporting such equipment.

This past Sunday, China’s director of the Commerce of Ministry’s foreign trade department, Li Xingqian, revealed that 74 countries and six international organizations had signed 192 contracts for Chinese medical supplies.

The outbreak in the UK is currently slowing down, with sufficient — and spare — ventilator capacity throughout the country.

Source: Newsweek