The destruction of the Russian Aventa-M artificial lung ventilation apparatus (IVL) in the United States was explained by precautions. This is stated in a statement by the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency, it came to the disposal of TASS.
The department recalled that several ventilators of this model caught fire and caused fires in Russian hospitals, as a result of which six people died. To ensure the safety of patients and medical personnel, the devices were disposed of back in July.
“For the use of technology designed to combat COVID-19 and any other disease requires review and approval,” – added the representatives of the department.
On October 20, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) explained the destruction of 45 Russian vehicles as an improvement in the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. The source confirmed that the ventilator was delivered to warehouses in the states of New York and New Jersey, where they were stored. However, after some time, the states sent the devices back to FEMA: in the end, they simply were not needed.
BuzzFeed wrote that the ventilators were disposed of after being stored in a warehouse for some time as spare equipment. They were allegedly not used for a number of reasons: first, the difference in voltage in the electrical networks of the United States and Russia did not allow the use of devices without special adapters that American hospitals did not have. Secondly, several ventilators of this particular model caught fire and caused fires in Russian hospitals, as a result of which six people died.
On April 1, the Russian An-124 Ruslan military transport aircraft delivered humanitarian aid to the United States. On board the aircraft were disinfectants, goggles, respirators and masks, as well as equipment. The State Department said that they paid for the deliveries from Russia in full, Moscow denied this, pointing out that half of the cargo was paid by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the same – by the American side.
