Ultra-fast update of the Winnipeg ventilator from StarFish Medical

StarFish Medical, Canada’s leading full-service medical device design company, redeveloped a 30-year-old Winnipeg ventilator prototype to support the Canadian government with up to an additional 7,500 ventilators to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. StarFish was able to count on the support of Sensirion for this upgrade. The sensor manufacturer enabled the successful SFM3019 flow sensor to be integrated into the new design in less than 60 days.

StarFish Medical updated the successful Winnipeg ventilator in spring 2020. The design of this ventilator was already 30 years old and had been the basis of early Puritan Bennett systems. The update was necessary to meet the high demand from the Canadian government for ventilators to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. StarFish will supply the Canadian government with up to a total of 7,500 state-of-the-art ventilators.

StarFish Medical integrated Sensirion’s SFM3019 flow sensor to monitor inspiratory air and oxygen flow. The SFM3019 is a digital sensor especially suited for high-volume applications and enables customers worldwide to meet the increased global demand for ventilators. StarFish Medical was able to benefit in particular from the speed of the project with Sensirion. In less than 60 days, the sensor was inserted into the oxygen line.

“Sensirion’s initiative to rapidly scale its flow sensor manufacturing with a new product allowed our team to develop the system in under two months with future-proof technology,” said John Walmsley, Executive VP of Strategic Relationships at StarFish Medical.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Key Account Manager at Sensirion, is also very pleased with the joint project. “We are proud to partner with StarFish Medical in the rapid integration of the Winnipeg design to ensure hospitals have the proper equipment and supply to treat the influx of COVID-19 patients.”