OBJECTIVE We designed this study to evaluate the simplicity of the user interface in modern-generation mechanical ventilators. We hypothesized that different designs in the user interface could result in different rates of operational failures. SETTING A laboratory in a tertiary teaching hospital. DESIGN Crossover design. SUBJECTS Twenty-one medical resident physicians who did not possess...

BACKGROUND Volume targeted pressure support ventilation (VT-PSV) is a hybrid mode increasingly used to maintain a minimal tidal volume (VT) by automatically adjusting the level of inspiratory pressure. The objective of the study was to determine the ability of home ventilators to maintain the preset minimal VT during unintentional leaks in a VT-PSV mode. METHODS Seven ventilators were tested ...

Ventilated patients frequently require transport by air in a hypobaric environment. Previous studies have demonstrated significant changes in the performance of ventilators with changes in cabin pressure (altitude) but no studies have been published on the function of modem ventilators at altitude. This experiment set out to evaluate ventilatory parameters (tidal volume and respiratory rate) of...

BACKGROUND Although heated humidifiers (HHs) are the most efficient humidifying device for mechanical ventilation, some HHs do not provide sufficient humidification when the inlet temperature to the water chamber is high. Because portable and home-care ventilators use turbines, blowers, pistons, or compressors to inhale in ambient air, they may have higher gas temperature than ventilators with ...

BACKGROUND Using a bench test model, we investigated the hypothesis that neonatal and/or adult ventilators equipped with neonatal/pediatric modes currently do not reliably administer pressure support (PS) in neonatal or pediatric patient groups in either the absence or presence of air leaks. METHODS PS was evaluated in 4 neonatal and 6 adult ventilators using a bench model to evaluate trigger...

The study by Rubinson et al reported in this issue of Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness estimating the number and distribution of mechanical ventilators in the United States has been much anticipated and is important to emergency preparedness.1 It is surprising to many that this information was not previously known, but, in fact, no attempt to comprehensively count and characteri...

BACKGROUND Independent bench studies using specific ventilation scenarios allow testing of the performance of ventilators in conditions similar to clinical settings. The aims of this study were to determine the accuracy of the latest generation ventilators to deliver chosen parameters in various typical conditions and to provide clinicians with a comprehensive report on their performance. MET...