iFixit is building a repair database for medical equipment, and needs your help | Hacker News Reader

iFixit is building a repair database for medical equipment, and needs your help

theverge.com

97 pointsEric_WVGG6 comments

We desperately need some tear downs of the Ventilators. The iFixit[1] page only has manuals and very few pictures. If people can get their hands on medical grade ones even if they are broken would be useful. I have found some good ones locally, but they are way too expensive just to tear down(>$1400). There lots of people working on ventilators, and will require a many people evaluating designs since this is a life critical system.

[1] https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Ventilator

On the life critical note, do we need to have a conversation about amateurs repairing medical things?

First, of course, thanks to iFixit and others for defending right-to-repair for consumer gear. If I bork my phone trying to fix it, it's really my fault and my problem.

Ordinarily, the official repair channel would have access to calibration and acceptance test procedures. Part of their obscene cost also includes FDA certification and liability.

So in an emergency such as this, the question is not how nerds on the ground can get the gear fixed, but how to take care of the other chores, like avoiding the worst case: making a sick person worse. The cert and legal stuff issues could be erased by some emergency good samaritan legislation.

If the choice is between a self-repaired ventilator and a patient dying I would encourage the self-repair. Otherwise yeah, only use certified equipment that is relatively new and in good condition.

My unskilled labor is at your service. I have a truck, gas money, a laptop, physical strength, a majority of tools you'd find in a well outfitted shop and a desire to help. If you have skilled work to do and unskilled work that needs doing please get in touch. (My email is in my profile). I can travel anywhere in New England and New York if need be.

I'm all for self-service repair, but how would calibration be handled?

If a repaired iPhone were somehow slightly out of spec, it is unlikely anyone will be hurt (sure, it isn't impossible). What if a repaired ventilator, insulin pump, etc is out of spec, though?

Ventilators are incredibly simple and can suffer considerable constant abuse without a hiccup.

These are medical grade devices.

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