Emergency Respiratory Support Units

To the Editor:—  We should like to call the attention of physicians to the widespread distribution of two dangerous emergency respiratory support units. In a comparative evaluation of ten manually powered emergency ventilation devices undertaken by us, it became apparent that the health community and the public are relying on emergency equipment which cannot fulfill its assumed and advertised function.The Res-Q-Aire (Fig 1) consists of a green plastic semiflexible bellows with a mouthpiece. Its cycling rate is too low for emergency breathing and its mouthpiece and prescribed mode of operation tend to obstruct the airway. Engineering and clinical tests of the Res-Q-Aire demonstrate that it is ineffective. Approximately 40,000 Res-Q-Aire resuscitators have been sold in this country, many to physicians, rescue organizations, laymen, and swimming pool owners. The Food and Drug Administration has seized shipments of the Res-Q-Aire in many cities. Although test results demonstrate the Res-Q-Aire is totally