Improvements to Electrically Operable Resuscitators

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrically operable resuscitation device comprising a pump including a rigid cylinder including at least one gas inlet and at least one gas outlet, a piston to travel in said cylinder, and at least one valve, the or each valve configured to allow gas to be displaced into said cylinder through said at least one gas inlet during at least one of a first stroke direction and second stroke direction of said piston in said cylinder, and for allowing gas to displaced through said at least one gas outlet during an opposite of said at least one of the first stroke direction and second stroke direction of said piston in said cylinder; a motor, selected from one of a stepper motor and feedback motor and stepper motor with feedback and linear motor, operatively connected to said piston to move said piston in said cylinder; a patient interface in ducted fluid connection with said pump to receive gas via said at least one gas outlet and to deliver said gas to said patient.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to improvements to resuscitators.BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION[0002]Resuscitators that can supply pressurised air or oxygen to a patient are well-known. Examples include bag or bellows type resuscitators and pump-like resuscitators and pressure-limited resuscitators. However, there are limitations in certain resuscitators. For example, there is a risk of overinflating a patient's lungs by delivering a volume of air that is greater than desirable. There is also a risk the pressure of the air or oxygen delivered may be at undesirably high levels. Such undesirable characteristics of the air being delivered to the patient can have adverse affects on the patient. If a patient's airway passage is or becomes blocked and air is delivered by the known devices then undesirable pressures may be reached. Further such increased pressure may cause sudden dislodgement of the blockage and may lead to serious consequences for the patient. Known...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0084]In a further aspect the present invention consists in a gas flow controller for a resuscitator that includes a pump to pressurise a gas for delivery to a patient and a patient interface, the controller interposed between said pump and interface and including a one way valve that allows gas to be displaced from the pump towards the patient interface and prevents gas from flowing through the one way valve in the opposite direction.

Problems solved by technology

However, there are limitations in certain resuscitators.

For example, there is a risk of overinflating a patient's lungs by delivering a volume of air that is greater than desirable.

There is also a risk the pressure of the air or oxygen delivered may be at undesirably high levels.

Such undesirable characteristics of the air being delivered to the patient can have adverse affects on the patient.

If a patient's airway passage is or becomes blocked and air is delivered by the known devices then undesirable pressures may be reached.

Further such increased pressure may cause sudden dislodgement of the blockage and may lead to serious consequences for the patient.

Known devices do not readily lend themselves to predetermination of airway pressures and volumes to which the lungs of the patient are being subjected by the operator of the device.

However, when the blockage clears there is a risk of over-pressurising or overfilling the lungs, thereby causing barotrauma or volutrauma or both.

In known devices there is the risk that an operator may displace too great a volume of air into the patient and therefore overinflate the patient's lungs.

There is also the risk of applying a pressure that is too great for the patient's lungs.

For example, when the airway passage is blocked, prior art systems do not signal that the operator should stop and remove the blockage.

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