Design of a flow modulation device to facilitate individualized ventilation in a shared ventilator setup

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Respiratory Care

Background:

• Healthcare systems face challenges with ventilator surge capacity during emergencies.
• Existing ventilator sharing methods lack patient-specific tidal volume (VT) control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a prototype flow modulator for individualized VT delivery in a shared ventilator setup.
• To assess the device's performance in simulating healthy and ARDS lung conditions.

Main Methods:

• An in vitro bench setup was used to test the flow modulator prototype.
• Ventilation parameters (VT, airway pressures) and profiles (pressure, flow, volume) were measured.
• Simulations included healthy and ARDS lung pathologies with varying valve openings and inspiratory pressures.

Main Results:

• The device achieved linear correlation between valve opening (10-100%) and delivered VT across inspiratory pressures of 20-30 cmH2O.
• Airway pressures remained below set inspiratory pressures, consistent across simulated lung conditions.
• The flow modulator produced a distinct ventilation profile compared to traditional methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed flow modulator effectively titrates VT in a shared ventilator setup, supporting Individualized Shared Ventilation (ISV) technology.
• This device offers a potential solution for ventilator surge capacity issues, enabling personalized ventilation.
• Further validation and clinical protocol development are warranted for its application.