Some veterinarians in Tasmania are sceptical about suggestions animal ventilators could be used on humans during the coronavirus pandemic.

Key points: Veterinarians around the country could be called on to sacrifice their equipment to help Australian hospitals

Veterinarians around the country could be called on to sacrifice their equipment to help Australian hospitals Some veterinarians warn animal ventilators would need too much work before they could be used on humans

Some veterinarians warn animal ventilators would need too much work before they could be used on humans The AMA says it is not uncommon for resources to be used for both animals and humans

Veterinarians around the country could be called on to sacrifice their equipment to help Australian hospitals if the number of coronavirus patients needing ventilation exceeds the number of machines now available.

The Australian Veterinarian Board Council (AVBC) yesterday issued an urgent call for all veterinary specialist facilities and university-based vet hospitals across the nation to provide information about their ventilators.

The request was met with an overwhelmingly positive response, with vet clinics around the country providing an inventory of their machines.

Fears equipment may not be up to scratch

Tasmania COVID-19 snapshot Confirmed cases: 226

Confirmed cases: 226 Deaths: 13, 12 in north-west What do I do if I think I have coronavirus? If you think you might have COVID-19 phone your GP or the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738. Need an interpreter? Phone the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and tell them your language. For more information and factsheets: Visit the Tasmanian Government's coronavirus page here.

But president of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Julia Crawford said she was not sure using veterinary equipment would be the best option.

The vet clinic ventilators would need to be sterilised and serviced at least before being suitable for use in human hospitals.

"It may be that it would not be cost effective to re-use old human equipment that's been used at vets for years," Dr Crawford said.

"Most of the veterinary respirators I've seen would take a lot of work to get them to be able to be used by humans."

AVA Tasmania branch president Sally Anne Richter echoed her concerns.

"We're hoping it won't get to that stage," she said.

Sally-Anne Richter said she hoped vets would not be required to hand over ventilators. ( ABC News: April McLennan )

"I think at a state level, there are very few clinics in Tasmania that have ventilators."

AVBC executive director Julie Strous insists many veterinary specialist facilities and university-based veterinary hospitals around the country have "state-of-the-art facilities".

"These machines, once serviced by biomedical engineers, will be suitable for saving lives in our hospitals," she said.

"Many ventilator models used by vets are exactly the same as the machines used in human hospitals, which means the intensivists are already familiar with their use," Dr Strous said.

"It's better to have too many machines than not enough."

Launceston veterinarian Perri Rea said some animal hospitals in other states had more ventilators than those in Tasmania.

"In places such as Queensland they're more likely to have a higher number of ventilators than down here because they see high numbers of tick paralysis cases for example," she said.

"The ventilators that we do have come from the human health sector, and we are aware that there are some countries overseas where vets have been requested to hand over certain PPE [personal protection equipment] and equipment such as ventilators."

Ventilators must be fit for purpose

Vice-president of the Australian Medical Association Chris Zappala said it was possible to use ventilators from animal hospitals on humans.

Veterinarian Perri Rea said vets in states with problems like tick paralyis probably had more ventilators than their Tasmanian counterparts. ( ABC News: April McLennan )

"We just need to bear in mind the size differential between whatever animals they were used on [and humans]," he said.

"And also the mechanics of the lungs, so [we need to look at] how easy it is to inflate lungs in humans [compared to the animals the machines were being used on]."

Dr Zappala said the sharing of resources between animals and humans was not uncommon, with animals placed in human CT and MRI scanners regularly.

"And of course it goes without saying that all the cleaning issues and so on need to be strictly observed, but they're done anyway in human ventilators," he said.

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The AVBC said Australian vets might be better placed to help out the human health sector than those in other countries.

"Vets probably have more mechanical ventilators per head of population in Australia because the vets treat pet diseases unique to Australia, such as tick paralysis and snake envenomation, and this is an advantage as we can offer this equipment now to save human lives," Dr Strous said.

The information collected about veterinary machines will be shared with the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society.

Predicted shortage of ventilators

Concerns are growing about a nationwide shortage of medical equipment due to a predicted increase in critical COVID-19 patients.

In Tasmania, there are about 50 ventilators to treat a population of more than 500,000 people.

Tasmanian Health Minister Sarah Courtney said the Government was taking every step to boost the number of ventilators available, and orders for more had been placed.

"We'd be looking to triple our supply, but there are challenges with supply lines," she said.

Ms Courtney said she was unaware of the potential for vet clinic ventilators to be used in human hospitals, but said the Government was looking at all equipment across the state.

The Federal Government is undertaking an audit of what essential products the nation's manufacturers can produce.

Companies have agreed to make new ventilators, and a factory in Victoria is ramping up its production of masks.

Federal Industry Minister Karen Andrews said discussions were also underway about using existing equipment in new ways.

"Sleep apnoea machines potentially could be converted," she said.

"Anaesthetic machines can potentially be re-purposed. And of course, what's in the vets can potentially be repurposed for ventilators."



Uncertainty over vets remaining open

Veterinarians remain uncertain whether they will be considered an "essential service" under new government restrictions.

However they have important roles to plan in the biosecurity, quarantine and animal welfare fields.

As the number of COVID-19 cases climbs, some Australian vet clinics are considering operational changes such as phone consultations.

They are advising pet owners not to stockpile medication, but to have about two weeks of supplies for animals with chronic conditions.