• Thomas Blakeman and Richard Branson.
• University of Cincinnati Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Critical Care , Cincinnati, OH , USA.
• COPD. 2014 Sep 1; 11 (5): 568-74.

PurposeEarly ambulation in the ventilated patient is gaining wider acceptance. We evaluated a new portable (1 lb), gas powered, volume ventilator designed for NIV via a proprietary nasal pillows interface (Breathe Technologies, CA).MethodsWe developed a model to approximate a patient's nose, upper airway and trachea. The model was connected to a test lung (ASL5000, Ingmar Medical, Pittsburgh, PA) via 22 mm ID corrugated tubing. The nasal pillows were adjusted in the nares using a lanyard. The ASL was set to represent a normal patient, a COPD patient, and a patient with interstitial lung disease (ILD). The Breathe ventilator was set at delivered volumes of 100 mL, 150 mL, 200 mL, and 250 mL. Baseline data was also collected without the appliance connected. Delivered volume, inspired oxygen concentration (FIO2), inspiratory flow (V), and peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) were recorded for each breath. Data for 10 breaths were used to calculate the mean at each condition (± SD).ResultsThe Breathe volume ventilator delivered an augmented simulated patient tidal volume of 362 to 823 mL, augmenting the simulated patient's spontaneous volume by up to 459 mL, depending on ventilator settings and ASL lung conditions. Delivered FIO2 ranged from 0.36 to 0.45 and was also dependent on ventilator settings and ASL lung conditions.ConclusionsThe PIP, delivered tidal volumes, and measured FIO2 support the hypothesis that this system can augment minute ventilation and supply supplemental oxygen in spontaneously breathing patients with a simple, non-invasive interface.

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