In a method of ventilating excised lungs, a ventilation gas is supplied to an airway of a lung and a vacuum is formed around the lung. A quality of the vacuum is varied between a lower level and a higher level to cause the lung to breathe, while the pressure of the ventilation gas supplied to the airway is regulated to maintain a positive airway pressure in the airway of the lung. The vacuum may be cyclically varied between the two vacuum levels. The levels may be maintained substantially constant over a period of time, or one or both of the lower and higher levels may be adjusted during ventilation. The lung may be placed in a sealed chamber, and a vacuum is formed in the chamber around the lung.

A medical ventilator comprising two pistons moving in unison with one another within respective two (a “first” and a “second”) cylinders. During an exhale phase of a breathing cycle, the first cylinder receives pressurized air which causes both pistons to move (upward). In the second cylinder, this creates a negative pressure to extract exhaled air from a patient's lungs. During an inhale phase of the breathing cycle, a weight acting on a link between the two pistons causes both pistons to move in an opposite (downward) direction, whereupon (i) the first piston delivers the pressurized air to the patient and (ii) the second piston vents the exhaled air. The second cylinder may have a larger bore or a larger stroke than the first cylinder, or may comprise multiple (a bank of) smaller cylinders.

The present invention provides devices and methods for creating and/or maintaining patency of the upper airway passage. The device is configured to fit under the chin of a subject at an external location corresponding approximately with the subject's internal soft tissue associated with the neck's anterior triangle. The device includes structural elements designed to optimize comfort, compliance and seal achieved through minimizing the pressure variation along the contact surface of the therapy device.

A mechanical insufflation-exsufflation device including an air source to provide positive airway pressure (PAP); a patient interface; at least one sensor to sense air pressure and flow at the patient interface; and a controller to control the air source to deliver at least one mechanically assisted cough to the patient in response to at least one of a target breathing flow and a target inhalation time period being sensed by the at least one sensor, and when the at least one of a target breathing flow and a target inhalation time period is not sensed, the controller is configured to control the air source to deliver each in a series of high-level PAP provided over a duration being followed by a low-level PAP provided over a duration, the series of high-level PAP increasing in pressure level and duration from a prior one in the series of high-level PAP.

A passive valve for use as a fixed leak valve. The valve includes a body having an internal chamber, first and second body ports in fluid communication with the chamber with the first port configured for fluid communication with a patient connection and the second body port configured for fluid communication with a ventilator, a body passageway in fluid communication with the chamber and with ambient air exterior of the body, and a check valve seal positioned to seal the body passageway to permit the flow of gas within the chamber through the body passageway to the exterior of the body and to prevent the flow of ambient air exterior of the body through the body passageway into the chamber. In alternative embodiments, the valve is incorporated into the patient connection or constructed as a separate part connectable to the patient connection.

A passive valve for use as a fixed leak valve. The valve includes a body having an internal chamber, first and second body ports in fluid communication with the chamber with the first port configured for fluid communication with a patient connection and the second body port configured for fluid communication with a ventilator, a body passageway in fluid communication with the chamber and with ambient air exterior of the body, and a check valve seal positioned to seal the body passageway to permit the flow of gas within the chamber through the body passageway to the exterior of the body and to prevent the flow of ambient air exterior of the body through the body passageway into the chamber. In alternative embodiments, the valve is incorporated into the patient connection or constructed as a separate part connectable to the patient connection.

Ventilator system with multiple inspiratory lumens is provided. The inspiratory lumens are configured so that separate inspiratory lumens provide inspiratory gas mixtures to separate portions of a patient's airways, for instance to separate lungs and/or bronchi. The ventilator system can include one or more expiratory lumens to evacuate expiratory gases from airways. The use of separate inspiratory lumen(s), with expiratory lumen(s), allows for functional separation of structural portions of the lungs, and maintenance of continuous or almost continuous flow through at least part of respiratory cycle via inspiratory and expiratory lumens. This can further reduce dead space and clear suspended therein diseases causative agents with improvement in outcomes, reduce risk of cross-contamination or cross-infection between different parts of airways, for example such as cross-infection from one lung lobe to another lobe or. The ventilator system allows for independent titration of PEEP, pCO.sub.2 and pO.sub.2 with no need for permissive hypercapnia.

Medical techniques include systems and methods for administering a positive pressure ventilation, a positive end expiratory pressure, and a vacuum to a person. Approaches also include treating a person with an intrathoracic pressure regulator so as to modulate or upregulate the autonomic system of the person, and treating a person with a combination of an intrathoracic pressure regulation treatment and an intra-aortic balloon pump treatment.

Disclosed is a device for stimulating the tracheobronchial air of a patient suffering from an obstructive ventilatory disorder and able to modify the rheology of his tracheobronchial mucus, which includes a negative pressure generator, a physiological interface able to interface the device with the patient's respiratory apparatus, a connection pipe connecting the physiological interface to the negative pressure generator, and a control circuit capable of controlling the negative pressure generator, during the passive expiration phase, for the application of a succession of alternation of negative pressure and venting impulses with a determined frequency and a duty cycle determined during a first part of an expiration cycle and then a second frequency and a second duty cycle during a second part of the expiration cycle and to reiterate a defined number of expiration cycles.

The present disclosure pertains to a system and method for facilitating pressure support therapy, mechanical inexsufflation therapy, and suctioning therapy for a subject. The system and method described herein offer a novel combination of mechanical inexsufflation with suctioning from a vacuum system. The invasive nature of current closed suctioning systems poses many potential risks, such as tissue trauma, less optimum secretion clearance at the peripheral airway, and lung decruitment. The system and method described herein provide a non-invasive method of suctioning with a suctioning volume measurement and a monitoring alarm to ensure a baseline lung volume and a positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) level are maintained. This non-invasive method of suctioning is provided together with mechanical inexsufflation and pressure support therapy.