Compact Lung Simulator with Biasing System for Respiratory Training
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lung simulators for medical training are either too large and complex, making them costly and difficult to transport, or they fail to accurately simulate human lung mechanics and adapt to different medical conditions, limiting their effectiveness in replicating human respiratory profiles.
Innovation Solution
A compact lung simulator design incorporating a frame, lung bladder, biasing system with springs or actuators, and compliance bladder that adjusts volume to simulate lung compliance and resistance, allowing for precise replication of human respiratory profiles and switching between controlled, assisted, and autonomous ventilation modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current reliable lung simulators are designed to imitate different medical conditions with variable resistance and compliance, then simulation accuracy is improved, but device complexity and size increase making them too large to fit inside a manikin and costly to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple lung simulator units into a single integrated manikin system. The lung simulators are positioned within the manikin's torso cavity, merging previously separate components (lung simulators, frame, support structures) into a unified system that maintains high simulation accuracy while reducing overall device complexity and footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The lung simulators are nested within the manikin structure. The lung simulator housing is positioned inside the manikin's torso cavity, and the lung bladders are contained within the lung simulator housing, creating a nested arrangement that saves space and reduces the overall size of the training system.
2Ease of operation
If lung simulators are made compact to fit inside a manikin, then portability and ease of setup are improved, but adaptability to different resistance and compliance settings and faithful replication of lung mechanics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The lung simulators incorporate adjustable components that allow dynamic modification of resistance and compliance settings. The system can be configured to simulate different medical conditions (normal lungs, restrictive lung disease, obstructive lung disease) by adjusting the mechanical properties of the lung bladders and connecting tubes, maintaining high adaptability within a compact design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs adjustable parameters including tube diameter, tube length, bladder volume, and material properties to change the mechanical characteristics of the lung simulators. These parameter adjustments allow the system to faithfully replicate different lung mechanics and respiratory profiles while maintaining a compact form factor that fits within the manikin.
3Reliability
If complex components are used to achieve reliable lung simulation, then simulation fidelity is improved, but purchase price and maintenance costs increase due to the number of parts that may fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs simple, durable components such as rubber or silicone bladders, basic tubes, and straightforward mechanical connectors. These components are designed to be inexpensive to manufacture and replace, reducing both initial purchase price and ongoing maintenance costs while maintaining sufficient simulation fidelity for training purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The lung simulators use simplified physical models (rubber/silicone bladders) that copy the essential mechanical behavior of human lungs without requiring complex electronic or mechanical systems. This approach achieves acceptable simulation fidelity at lower cost by replicating only the critical respiratory mechanics needed for training.
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 solution enables high-precision simulation of human respiratory mechanics, reducing costs and complexity while allowing for easy adaptation to various medical conditions and ventilation modes, enhancing training accuracy and portability.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member, at least two movable plates, and a frame supporting and interconnecting the lung bladder, the compliance bladder, the biasing member and the at least two movable plates such that in use, the biasing member and the compliance bladder exert a variable pressure on the lung bladder through the movable plates as the volume of the lung bladder varies
Implementation Method 2
a restrictor may be added to the tube connecting the ventilator and the lung bladder, such that pulmonary resistance may be simulated
Data Source
AI summary
A lung simulator including a lung bladder, a biasing system providing a relaxed expiration force to the lung bladder with a positive end-expiratory pressure and simulating lung compliance, and a frame holding the lung bladder and biasing member in position. The lung bladder may be inflated and deflated between a positive end-expiratory pressure and a peak inspiratory pressure through the means of a ventilator, a bag mask or mouth to mouth ventilation and may produce a pressure-volume curve similar to that of a lung when the lung bladder is connected to a ventilation source.