• Health Devices. 2002 Jul 1;31(7):237-55.

AbstractNeonatal/pediatric intensive care ventilators provide temporary breathing support to preterm and critically ill children who require total or partial assistance to maintain adequate ventilation. Some ventilators are specifically designed for neonatal/pediatric patients, while others--which we call all-patient ventilators--can ventilate the full range of patients from neonates to adults. We evaluated six ventilators from four suppliers: Bird, Dräger, Hamilton, and Siemens. Four of these units are all-patient models, a fifth can ventilate the range from neonatal to pediatric patients, and the sixth is suitable only for neonates. We found that the all-patient units performed at least as well as those designed specifically for neonatal/pediatric patients, and in fact all three of our Preferred units are all-patient ventilators. Unless your clinicians insist on the traditional time-cycled pressure-limited (TCPL) mode, these all-patient units are probably your best choice--and may even save costs, as we discuss in the Money Matters feature. Safe and informed ventilator use is still a vital concern. We continue to stress the importance of thoroughly understanding the characteristics and use of every ventilator model in your facility. This means not only knowing the ventilator's modes, special features, and unique characteristics, but also knowing which alarm settings are appropriate and which are not. This article includes a review of the key points of that topic.

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