Coronavirus has sparked a new conversation about the difference between ventilators, CPAP and BiPAP machines.

We can avoid a ventilator shortage by jailbreaking CPAP machines. It would only take a software fix to rehab the medical devices, security experts say.

The hospitals provided information about the type and amount CPAP and BiPAP machines they had for conversion and what modifications would be most helpful for safely treating COVID-19 patients.

CPAP machines typically start around $500, while biPAP machines can be had for about $1,200. Ventilators, however, range in price from $20,000-$50,000.

The recall stems from Philips’ finding that the magnets embedded in some of its CPAP and BiPAP masks may interact with certain implanted medical devices in both the wearers of the masks and ...