Bag-Valve Ventilator Control Without a Flow Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and fragility of ventilators, particularly due to the use of expensive components like flow sensors, lead to a shortage and frequent breakdowns, posing a significant challenge in healthcare settings where timely availability is crucial.
Innovation Solution
A ventilator system that utilizes a pressure line adaptor with inflow and outflow pressure sensors, a control system, and a look-up table to regulate the compression of a bag valve without a flow sensor, ensuring accurate delivery of a desired gaseous inhalant volume, thus eliminating the need for a flow sensor and enhancing reliability and affordability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a flow sensor is used to measure tidal volume, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase, and reliability decreases due to frequent breakdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the flow sensor from the ventilator system entirely. Instead of using a flow sensor to measure tidal volume, the system uses pressure sensors in combination with a look-up table that correlates pressure values to flow rates and volumes. This extraction of the problematic component eliminates the reliability issues and cost problems associated with flow sensors while maintaining measurement capability through an alternative approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical flow sensing approach with a pressure-based measurement system. Pressure sensors measure pressure values, and these are converted to flow and volume information using a pre-calibrated look-up table. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical flow sensors and their associated reliability issues while maintaining the ability to measure tidal volume accurately.
2Measurement precision
If expensive components like flow sensors are used, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pressure sensors which are generally less expensive than flow sensors, combined with a software-based look-up table approach. This combination provides a more cost-effective solution for manufacturing ventilators, making the device more accessible and affordable while still maintaining the capability to measure tidal volume through pressure-based calculations.
3Measurement precision
If flow sensors are used to ensure accurate volume delivery, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the pressure sensors serve multiple functions: they monitor airway pressure, trigger breaths, and provide data for tidal volume calculation through the look-up table. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate flow sensors, reducing system complexity while maintaining the ability to accurately measure and control gaseous inhalant delivery.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a robust, cost-effective, and portable ventilator capable of operating in various modes, improving accessibility and survival chances by reducing breakdowns and maintaining consistent gaseous inhalant delivery.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of pressure sensors, the control system is configured to determine an actual volume of the gaseous inhalant delivered to the patient based on pressure values recorded by the plurality of pressure sensors
Implementation Method 2
cause the mechanical system to compress the bag valve in accordance with the identified compression value to deliver a desired volume of a gaseous inhalant to a patient
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a ventilator that includes a breathing system, a mechanical system coupled to breathing system, and a control system coupled to breathing system and mechanical system. The control system includes pressure sensors, processing circuitry, and memory configured to store a look-up table. The processing circuitry receives a set of values for plurality of parameters, identifies a compression value from a plurality of compression values in the look-up table based on the received set of values. The processing circuitry causes the mechanical system to compress a bag valve of the breathing system in accordance with the identified compression value. The compression of the bag valve causes a gaseous inhalant to flow through the breathing system within a time-interval. The processing circuitry determines an actual volume of the gaseous inhalant and iteratively modifies the compression value of the bag valve to match a desired volume of the gaseous inhalant.