Medical Ventilators
A medical ventilator is a machine that helps your lungs work. It can be a lifesaving machine if you have a condition that makes it hard for you to breathe properly or when you can’t breathe on your own at all.
A ventilator helps to push air in and out of your lungs so your body can get the oxygen it needs. You may wear a fitted mask to help get oxygen from the ventilator into your lungs. Or, if your condition is more serious, a breathing tube may be inserted down your throat to supply your lungs with oxygen.
Ventilators are most often used in hospital settings. A doctor or a respiratory therapist will control how much oxygen is pushed into your lungs by the ventilator.
Other names that a ventilator is known by include:
- respirator
- breathing machine
- mechanical ventilation
Why would you need a ventilator?
Medical ventilators supply air or other gaseous mixtures to patients through the use of pressure. These devices are used when patients require assistance breathing or are entirely unable to breathe on their own. One vital component that these systems use to function is a pressure sensor.
In this blog post, we'll review how medical ventilators work and the role that pressure sensors play in the functionality of these devices.
How Does a Ventilator Work & When Are They Used?
Hospitals often use medical ventilators as life support devices for patients who are either unable to breathe on their own or experience difficulty breathing. There are both invasive and non-invasive ventilators available. While noninvasive ventilators use an airtight external mask, invasive ventilators involve inserting internal tubes via tracheostomies or intubation.
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Medical ventilators are normally used as a temporary measure to assist with breathing for a limited time, such as when a patient is undergoing surgery. Anesthesia may slow patients' breathing, warranting the use of a ventilator throughout a surgical procedure. In some cases, patients with serious medical conditions that affect their breathing may require ventilation during the recovery process, usually while receiving treatment in a hospital's critical care unit (CCU) or intensive care unit (ICU).
Other conditions that may require the use of a ventilator include acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), pneumonia and other respiratory infections, lung diseases, brain injury, drug overdoses, or strokes.
Where Are Pressure Sensors Used on a Ventilator?
Pressure sensors are integral to medical ventilators. Depending on the type of system, medical industry pressure sensors are used in several places on a ventilator, including:
- Measurement of the pressure between the regulator and filter from the starting oxygen and air inputs
- Measurement of pressure when the patient inhales, along with the pressure of the gases leading to external humidifiers
- Measurement of pressure when patients exhale into medical ventilators
- Measurement of barometric pressure to offset changes in elevation
Depending on the role of a pressure sensor in a ventilator, several sensor solutions are available for different applications. These include filter monitoring, airflow control, O2 flow control, O2 source pressure, CO2 level, and humidifier solutions.
How Ventilators Can Save the Lives of People with COVID-19
A mechanical ventilator is a device that pumps air into the lungs of a person with severe respiratory failure. The air in a ventilator often has a higher percentage of oxygen than room air.
COVID-19 can cause respiratory symptoms like coughing, trouble breathing, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, it can lead to a life threatening condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Ventilators can be lifesaving for people with severe respiratory symptoms. Roughly
Keep reading as we explain how ventilators are used to help people with severe COVID-19 symptoms.
COVID-19 is the name of the condition caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2, which emerged in late 2019. It falls into a group of viruses called coronaviruses. There are hundreds of types of coronaviruses, but only
The virus that causes COVID-19 can enter your body through your nose, mouth, or eyes. Once it enters your body, it can work its way to your lungs, where it’s thought to invade epithelial cells that line your airways. Inflammation caused by the infection can interfere with your lungs’ ability to clear fluid and debris. This buildup can lead to hypoxemia, meaning your body becomes deprived of oxygen. A ventilator has the lifesaving task of supporting the lungs. These machines can provide air with an elevated oxygen content and create pressure in your lungs to assist with breathing. They also help clear away carbon dioxide and rebalance your blood’s pH levels.
How mechanical ventilation works
Mechanical ventilators are connected to a tube that goes down your throat. They’re often used in the intensive care units (ICUs) of hospitals to help people with severe COVID-19 symptoms. However, many hospitals have been running into shortages.
These ventilators assist your lungs by helping maintain optimal air pressure and providing your lungs with oxygen. The ventilator can either partially or fully take over the breathing process for you. Mechanical ventilators can be crucial in situations where you’re not able to adequately breathe on your own. They aren’t a cure for COVID-19, but they can support your body while it fights off the infection. Generally, you’ll be given a sedative. In severe cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome, you’ll be deeply sedated. You’re likely in a state of confusion when you’re on a ventilator, and a sedative can help prevent you from injuring yourself if you attempt to remove the tube.
References
- https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-happens-when-a-hospital-runs-out-of-icu-beds
- https://www.healthline.com/health/hypoxemia
- https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/coronaviruses
- https://www.healthline.com/health/coronavirus-covid-19
- https://www.healthline.com/health/ventilator#what-to-expect
- http://blog.servoflo.com/pressure-sensors-for-medical-ventilators
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