Ventilators for Nonintensivists. Basic Ventilator Parameters

Battery life of portable home ventilators: effects of ventilator settings.

BACKGROUND The battery life (BL) of portable home ventilator batteries is reported by manufacturers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of ventilator mode, breathing frequency, PEEP, and leaks on the BL of 5 commercially available portable ventilators. METHODS The effects of the ventilator mode (volume controlled-continuous mandatory ventilation [VC-CMV] vs pressure support ven...

A porcine model for initial surge mechanical ventilator assessment and evaluation of two limited-function ventilators.

OBJECTIVES To adapt an animal model of acute lung injury for use as a standard protocol for a screening initial evaluation of limited function, or "surge," ventilators for use in mass casualty scenarios. DESIGN Prospective, experimental animal study. SETTING University research laboratory. SUBJECTS Twelve adult pigs. INTERVENTIONS Twelve spontaneously breathing pigs (six in each group) ...

Evaluation of the ventilator-user interface of 2 new advanced compact transport ventilators.

BACKGROUND Mechanical ventilation during patient transport frequently utilizes compact portable pneumatic ventilators that have limited ventilator-settings options. New advanced transport ventilators should yield quality improvements, but their user-friendliness needs to be tested. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the ventilator-user interface of 2 new transport ventilators. METHODS This was a 2-cente...

Stockpiling Ventilators for Influenza Pandemics

Stockpiling Ventilators for Influenza Pandemics

In preparing for influenza pandemics, public health agencies stockpile critical medical resources. Determining appropriate quantities and locations for such resources can be challenging, given the considerable uncertainty in the timing and severity of future pandemics. We introduce a method for optimizing stockpiles of mechanical ventilators, which are critical for treating hospitalized influen...