Cosmetic Ventilators (Co-V) for COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has infiltrated all over our lives in every aspect and led to complete lockdown in almost every country and affected millions of people. It has overwhelmed the healthcare systems even of the most developed nations and this could be our future as well if situation is not controlled. We might fall short of ICU beds, ventilators, and trained manpower. Having understood that, many companies or even individuals have started to produce new and innovative kind of ventilators which prima facie are not at par with the standard ICU ventilators. Such ventilators, if approved for use in COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), may not be of much use and rather cause harm. This commentary shall deal with the basics of COVID-19 ARDS, basics of an ICU ventilator, innovative low-cost ventilators, and the stark differences between the two and why their use may not be appropriate in the condition of our concern. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Malani AS. Cosmetic Ventilators (Co-V) for COVID-19. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(7):506–508.