Coronavirus: Newport Beach cryotherapy manufacturer switches gears to produce oxygen hoses for ventilators
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- As health care providers look for more ventilators to help COVID-19 patients, others are desperately looking for accessories for machines with missing parts.
New York Presbyterian Hospital issued a plea for help this week, and Cryo Innovations in Newport Beach realized they were able to help.
"They put out an S.O.S. on one of our cryotherapy forums that they were looking for these ventilator hoses, and my engineer actually saw it and brought it to my attention and said, we could do this," CEO Keith Scheinberg said.
The company manufactures cryotherapy chambers that use extreme cold temperatures to help heal the body. His engineer found that an adaptation of a specific oxygen hose they produce was the simple solution.
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"We use liquid nitrogen for the cryo chambers, and so when he came in he said look, this is something we can adapt to really quickly and easily, and all it would take is pretty much labor to put it together and I said, let's make it happen," Scheinberg said.
They were able to manufacture and ship the first batch of hoses in less than 24 hours.
"First thing I did was I texted my mom and said we're gonna be able to do this. It was kind of a cool way to help," he said.
Now, the small business is willing to work with any hospital that needs them.
"We're kind of lucky that at least we can put our effort into doing something that's helpful," Scheinberg said.
By Wednesday, the company says several other hospitals across the country reached out for the hoses, so they plan on ramping up production from 100 hoses a day to up to 500.
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