Smiths Medical, a US-based global medical device manufacturer, has launched its Pneupac paraPAC plus ventilator in the US and Canada.

Cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada, the ventilator has been used clinically since early 2011 in countries accepting CE-marked devices.

According to the company, the paraPAC plus is the most advanced transport ventilator of the Pneupac range, which supports the basic life-sustaining needs of a patient in respiratory distress and also the needs of an inpatient receiving CPAP or other high efficiency oxygen therapy.

The paraPAC plus measures 235mm wide, 165mm deep by 93mm high and weighs less than five pounds, about a third lighter than its predecessor, the Pneupac paraPAC.

The small footprint fits neatly at a patient’s side, on a stretcher or bed, in an ambulance or aircraft, and on an MRI table, while the non-ferrous construction allows it to be placed next to a 3-Tesla shielded magnet affecting neither ventilator function nor MRI scan quality.

The paraPAC plus is approved for use in a spatial gradient of up to 7.5 Tesla in the MRI environment.

It is fully pneumatic while performing essential operations – ventilation and oxygen therapies – without electrical power.

Additionally, the ventilator’s Air Mix feature helps conserve precious oxygen supplies when used during lengthy transports.

Smiths Medical vice president of Specialty Business Andrew Rose said, "Globally paraPAC plus has had more than two years of clinical use and we are confident that it is one of the most reliable, resilient and versatile transport ventilators that we have ever produced."

Starting 01 May 2014, the paraPAC plus ventilator can be ordered through Smiths Medical and authorized distributors.