Premium
A low oxygen consumption pneumatic ventilator for emergency construction during a respiratory failure pandemic *
Author(s) -
Williams D.,
Flory S.,
King R.,
Thornton M.,
Dingley J.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2009.06207.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mechanical ventilation , tidal volume , oxygen , ventilation (architecture) , workload , anesthesia , consumption (sociology) , gas consumption , intensive care medicine , emergency medicine , respiratory system , mechanical engineering , process engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , computer science , engineering , operating system , social science , sociology
Summary The UK influenza pandemic plan predicts up to 750 000 additional deaths with hospitals prioritising patients against inadequate resources. We investigated three prototype low‐cost, gas‐efficient, pneumatic ventilators in a test lung model at different compliance and rate settings. Mean (SD) oxygen consumption was 0.913 (0.198) and 1.119 (0.267) l.min −1 at tidal volumes of 500 ml and 700 ml respectively. Values of F I o 2 increased marginally as lung compliance reduced, reflecting the increased ventilator workload and consequent increased enrichment of breathing gas by waste oxygen from the pneumatic mechanism. We also demonstrated that a stable nitric oxide concentration could be delivered by this design following volumetric principles. It is possible to make a gas‐efficient ventilator costing less than £200 from industrial components for use where oxygen is available at 2‐4 bar, with no pressurised air or electrical requirements. Such a device could be mass‐produced for crises characterised by an overwhelming demand for mechanical ventilation and a limited oxygen supply.