WVXU: Cincinnati-designed ventilators on their way to Brazil and beyond
Nonprofit started by former P&G scientists had input from UC
WVXU recently reported on Venti-Now, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit that developed a simple automated ventilator. Some of those ventilators will soon be on the way to Brazil, which has a high number of COVID-19 cases, as well as Tanzania.
Venti-Now was launched early in the pandemic by two P&G scientists, John Molander and Art Koehler, with the aim to create an affordable, easy-to-use ventilator for low-resource countries. The company enlisted input from various University of Cincinnati experts, including Peter Campbell, professor of biomedical engineering at UC, along with two of his students, whose work was featured here.
Biomedical engineering students, Johnathan Wisecarver and Jacquelyn Chapman, pose with the Venti-Now ventilator they helped create. Photo/provided.
WVXU reports that Venti-Now began to manufacture the ventilator devices at PMC Smart Solutions based in Blue Ash early in July. The units feature a simple bag-valve-mask design similar to what is used to manually help people breath on an ambulance ride. Venti-Now’s product automates the inflation of the bag.
Unlike most ventilators, Venti-Now’s device doesn’t require expensive oxygen tanks. Instead, it can be run off of compressor air, which makes it suitable for temporary emergency facilities and hospitals with or without air hookups. Many standard ventilators require trained personnel to operate, calibrate or fix the machines.
Featured image at top: Venti-Now founder John Molander and UC student Jacquelyn Chapman examine the ventilator. Photo/provided.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.