Baylis Medical, a Canadian-based medical device company specializing in cardiology and spine, announced today that it is partnering with Ventilators for Canadians, a consortium of Canadian manufacturers, to manufacture ventilators for hospitals across Canada.  

The Government of Canada recently announced its support for Canadian manufacturing companies producing critical medical supplies, enabling Baylis to do its part to support the management of patients impacted by the COVID-19 virus. 

“These challenging times require everyone to contribute what they can to assist their community. Baylis Medical is committed to helping COVID-19 patients during this unprecedented time,” said Kris Shah, President of Baylis Medical. “Ventilators are not our typical area of focus and we recognize that there will be challenges with sourcing complex components that could impact the speed at which we can produce the devices. However, given our existing manufacturing capabilities, we are well-positioned to provide these much-needed devices to hospitals across Canada.”

With the support of Ventilators for Canadians, Baylis will be leveraging its robust advanced manufacturing capabilities to quickly ramp up production of the Baylis V4C–560 ventilator and ensure Canadians have access to this critical medical equipment. 

“At Baylis, we recognize the critical need to manufacture ventilators quickly and effectively,” said Neil Godara, Vice President and General Manager of Design and Manufacturing Services at Baylis.“The support of the Federal Government, strong partnership with Ventilators for Canadians and access to Medtronic’s ventilator design specifications allows us to do our part during this unprecedented time.” 

“At Ventilators for Canadians we know it is urgent for Canadians to come together with solutions to mitigate the threat of this pandemic,” said Rick Jamieson, Executive Member of Ventilators for Canadians and President and CEO of ABS Friction. “We are pleased to be part of this team, led by a world-class manufacturer, Baylis Medical, to quickly supply Canadian-made ventilators at this critical time. V4C will be there to bring additional Canadian manufacturing strength where needed most.”

Ventilators take the strain off of patient’s lungs, supply oxygen and simulate the actions of breathing, making them important devices for the management of severe respiratory illness, such as that caused by COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 virus presents us all with an unprecedented human challenge, and it requires an extraordinary response,” said Neil Fraser, president of Medtronic Canada. “Medtronic took the unique step of making all of our design specifications, including engineering, software, and manufacturing information on the Puritan BennettTM560 (PB560) available via our website to the public, and Baylis Medical immediately stepped up to take on this challenge. We are pleased to advance this work through our open source initiative and we will do what we can to support Baylis Medical in ramping up ventilator production in Canada.” 

The Baylis V4C–560 ventilator will be based on Medtronic’s PB 560 ventilator design, made publicly available.The ventilator is compact, lightweight and portable, and provides airway support for both children and adults. Medtronic will also provide Baylis with engineering support and assist with licensing of the Baylis V4C-560 ventilator in Canada.