what is a ventilator really? how does it help our breathing?
The earliest breathing machine was the Drinker respirator. It was invented in 1928 and was known as an ‘iron lung’. These machines were used between the 1930s and 1950s by patients whose breathing muscles had been paralyzed by polio. They used negative pressure to help patients breathe while lying inside the iron lung’s airtight chamber. A pump removed air inside the chamber, creating low air pressure around the patient’s chest. This enabled the lungs to expand, causing the patient to breathe in. Other negative-pressure devices included the cuirass (a shell-like device that was tightly strapped over the chest). A pump created a vacuum across the chest, forcing the patient to breathe in.Ventilators replaced respirators during the 1950s. They use positive pressure, meaning they pump air into the lungs through a face mask or a tube in the throat. Ventilators were developed during the Second World War to supply oxygen to fighter pilots flying at high altitude. Hand-pumped and mechanical positive-pressure devices helped patients breathe during polio epidemics in the 1950s. Ventilators were less bulky than negative-pressure devices. Ventilators became essential tools within surgery as well as in intensive-care medicine. ( Image source: sciencemuseum.org.uk A polio patient being placed in an iron lung, 1938. Credits:Daily Herald Archive/NMeM/SSPL)
1 of 3: mechanical ventilators
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How breathing works: The respiratory system in human beings consists of the following organs: nose, pharynx, trachea, bronchi and lungs.
Inhalation: During inhalation, muscles and diaphragm contract and the ribs are pushed outward and upward. The diaphragm flattens and the chest cavity increases in volume. This reduces the air pressure inside the lungs. The atmospheric air gushes in through the nostrils to equalize the air pressure. |
2 of 3: Respiratory System, Part 1: Crash Course
3 of 3: TESLA's ventilator made from car parts
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Exhalation: During exhalation, the chest muscles relax and ribs are pushed downward and backward. The diaphragm becomes dome-shaped. As a result, the volume of the chest cavity decreases. The pressure of air inside the lungs increases and air is thrown out through the nostrils.
Tesla couple of days back shared an update on the ventilator it’s developing to address the shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a new video Tesla’s engineers show off two versions of the ventilator, a prototype model with its components laid out across a desk, as well as a packaged model that shows how it might look when used by a hospital. |