Bellows-less lung system for the human patient simulator.

Area of Science:

• Medical Simulation
• Respiratory Mechanics
• Anesthesiology Training

Background:

• Traditional human patient simulators (HPS) use bellows-driven systems with physical and dynamic constraints, leading to dead space and high manufacturing costs.
• Current HPS systems require time-consuming calibrations due to numerous mechanical components.
• Existing simulators face limitations in simulating high respiratory rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new bellows-less lung simulator utilizing a fixed-volume pressure controller.
• To present an alternative to traditional bellows-driven mechanical lung systems in HPS.
• To overcome the limitations of existing HPS in simulating spontaneous breathing and high respiratory rates.

Main Methods:

• Designed and constructed a bellows-less lung simulator controlled by carina pressure.
• Utilized a fixed-volume pressure controller to simulate spontaneous breathing.
• Evaluated the system's ability to simulate airflow and various respiratory parameters.

Main Results:

• The new system successfully simulates airflow in and out of the mouth by controlling carina pressure.
• Achieved simulation of tidal volumes between 400-500 ml and flow rates of 4.3-5.7 L/min at 12 breaths/min.
• Matched the ventilation performance of traditional HPS and simulated up to 60 breaths/min, exceeding HPS capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The bellows-less lung simulator effectively simulates spontaneous breathing and ventilation parameters.
• This novel design offers improved performance, including higher respiratory rate simulation, compared to traditional HPS.
• The new system presents a cost-effective and advanced alternative for medical and anesthesiology training.