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A ventilator includes a compressor, a storage vessel, a valve assembly communicating with the compressor, the storage vessel, and an inhalation line. A controller directs the valve assembly between a storage configuration where ventilation gas is delivered from the compressor into the storage vessel

A ventilator includes a compressor, a storage vessel, a valve assembly communicating with the compressor, the storage vessel, and an inhalation line. A controller directs the valve assembly between a storage configuration where ventilation gas is delivered from the compressor into the storage vessel, and a delivery configuration where ventilation gas is delivered from the storage vessel to the inhalation line. The controller is coupled to a pressure sensor for detecting a first pressure within the storage vessel when the valve assembly is directed to the delivery configuration, and detecting subsequent pressure while ventilation gas is delivered from the storage vessel to the inhalation line, the controller determining the volume of ventilation gas delivered to the patient based at least in part on the difference between the first pressure and the subsequent pressure.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A ventilator comprising: a housing;a source of pressurized gas comprising a compressor within the housing for drawing ambient air into the ventilator to provide pressurized air;a pre-fill vessel within the housing;a storage vessel within the housing;a first pressure sensor coupled to the storage

1. A ventilator comprising: a housing;a source of pressurized gas comprising a compressor within the housing for drawing ambient air into the ventilator to provide pressurized air;a pre-fill vessel within the housing;a storage vessel within the housing;a first pressure sensor coupled to the storage vessel for detecting pressure of ventilation gas within the storage vessel;one or more valves within the housing and communicating with the compressor via a source line, communicating with the pre-fill vessel and the storage vessel, and communicating with an inhalation line for delivering ventilation gas into a patient's airway;a patient circuit external to the housing and communicating with the inhalation line via tubing configured to deliver the ventilation gas into the patient's airway, the patient circuit comprising an expiratory block including an exhale valve configured to open to the atmosphere during exhalation by the patient and close during inhalation by the patient; anda controller coupled to the one or more valves for selectively directing the one or more valves between a storage configuration where pressurized air is delivered from the compressor into the pre-fill vessel and the storage vessel, and a delivery configuration where ventilation gas is delivered from the storage vessel into the patient's airway via the inhalation line and pressurized air from the compressor is delivered into the pre-fill vessel,the controller coupled to the first pressure sensor for detecting a first pressure within the storage vessel when the one or more valves is directed to the delivery configuration, and detecting subsequent pressure thereafter while ventilation gas is delivered from the storage vessel to the patient via the inhalation line, the controller determining a volume of ventilation gas delivered to the patient's airway based at least in part on the difference between the first pressure and the subsequent pressure. 2. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured for detecting subsequent pressure within the storage vessel at predetermined time intervals after directing the one or more valves to the delivery configuration, the controller determining the volume of ventilation gas delivered to the patient based at least in part on a difference between the first pressure and the subsequent pressure. 3. The ventilator of claim 2, wherein the controller compares an estimated cumulative volume of ventilation gas delivered during each time interval to a predetermined maximum volume and directs the one or more valves to close the inhalation line when the estimated cumulative volume meets or exceeds the predetermined maximum volume. 4. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the first pressure sensor is pneumatically connected to the storage vessel at a location away from any ports in the storage vessel communicating with the one or more valves such that flow through the flow path does not substantially affect the pressure of the pressurized gas detected by the first pressure sensor. 5. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured for determining the volume of ventilation gas delivered to the patient without requiring information regarding a flow rate of the ventilation gas from the storage vessel. 6. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured for determining the volume of ventilation gas delivered to the patient without information regarding duration of time that the one or more valves are in the deliver configuration. 7. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured for monitoring pressure within the storage vessel while ventilation gas is delivered to the patient from the storage vessel over time to determine a derivative of the pressure with respect to time until the derivative drops to a predetermined threshold approaching zero, whereupon the controller actuates the one or more valves to close the inhalation line to discontinue delivery of ventilation gas to the patient from the storage vessel. 8. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the one or more valves are configured such that, in the delivery configuration, the inhalation line is only exposed to ventilation gas within the storage vessel and isolated from the source of pressurized gas. 9. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the one or more valves comprise a three-port, two-position valve coupled between the source line and the inhalation line. 10. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the valve one or more valves comprise a first valve coupled to the source line for opening and closing the source line and a second valve coupled to the inhalation line for opening and closing the inhalation line. 11. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the compressor is configured to operate substantially continuously to draw ambient air into the source line under pressure. 12. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the source of pressurized gas further comprises a source of one or more of pure oxygen and pressurized air. 13. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the source of pressurized gas further comprises: a connector for coupling an external source of pressurized gas to the ventilator; and a control valve coupled to the connector for selectively delivering pressurized gas from the external source to either an inlet of the compressor or the source line. 14. The ventilator of claim 1, further comprising a restrictor in the inhalation line for limiting a flow rate of ventilation gas from the storage vessel to the patient. 15. The ventilator of claim 1, further comprising a restrictor in the source line between an outlet of the source of pressurized gas and the one or more valves for limiting the pressure of ventilation gas delivered to the one or more valves from the source line. 16. The ventilator of claim 1, further comprising a second patient pressure sensor coupled to the inhalation line for detecting pressure in the inhalation line, the controller coupled to the patient pressure sensor for monitoring pressure in the inhalation line to determine when the patient initiates inhalation, whereupon the controller directs the one or more valves to the delivery configuration. 17. The ventilator of claim 1, wherein the compressor is configured for delivering a maximum pressure to the source line of at least 350 cm H2O (5 psi). 18. The ventilator of claim 17, further comprising a restrictor in the inhalation line, the restrictor limiting the maximum pressure of ventilation gas delivered to the patient from the storage vessel to no more than sixty centimeters of water (60 cm H2O). 19. A ventilator comprising: a housing;a source of pressurized gas comprising a compressor within the housing;a pre-fill vessel within the housing;a storage vessel within the housing;one or more valves within the housing communicating with the compressor via a source line, communicating with the pre-fill and storage vessels, and communicating with an inhalation line;a patient circuit external to the housing and communicating with the inhalation line via tubing for delivering ventilation gas into a patient's airway, the patient circuit comprising an expiratory block including an exhale valve configured to open to the atmosphere during exhalation by the patient and close during inhalation by the patient; anda controller coupled to the one or more valves for selectively directing the one or more valves between a delivery configuration where ventilation gas is delivered from the storage vessel into the patient's airway under positive pressure via the inhalation line and pressurized gas is delivered from the compressor to the pre-fill vessel, and a storage configuration where pressurized gas is delivered from the compressor and the pre-fill vessel into the storage vessel to store pressurized gas in the storage vessel during exhalation by the patient. 20. The ventilator of claim 19, wherein the one or more valves define a first flow path in the storage configuration communicating between the storage vessel and the compressor and pre-fill vessel for delivering pressurized gas from the compressor with the storage vessel isolated from the inhalation line and the pre-fill vessel into the storage vessel and defining second and third flow paths in the delivery configuration, the second flow path communicating between the storage vessel and inhalation line to deliver ventilation gas within the storage vessel into the patient's airway via the inhalation line, and the third path communicating between the source of pressurized gas and the pre-fill vessel for delivering pressurized gas into the pre-fill vessel. 21. The ventilator of claim 19, further comprising: a vessel pressure sensor coupled to the storage vessel for detecting pressure of ventilation gas within the storage vessel,wherein the controller is coupled to the vessel pressure sensor for detecting a first pressure within the storage vessel when the one or more valves are directed to the delivery configuration and detecting subsequent pressure within the storage vessel at one or more time intervals thereafter, the controller determining the volume of ventilation gas delivered to the patient based at least in part on a difference between the first pressure and the subsequent pressure. 22. The ventilator of claim 19, wherein the compressor operates substantially continuously while the one or more valves are directed between the storage configuration and the delivery configuration. 23. The ventilator of claim 19, wherein the patient circuit comprises an endotracheal tube. 24. A portable ventilator comprising: a housing;a power source within the housing;a compressor within the housing operating substantially continuously during operation of the portable ventilator to draw ambient air into a source line under pressure;a storage vessel within the housing;a first pressure sensor coupled to the storage vessel for detecting pressure of ventilation gas within the storage vessel;one or more valves communicating with the compressor via the source line, communicating with the storage vessel, and communicating with an inhalation line for delivering ventilation gas into a patient's airway;a patient circuit external to the housing and communicating with the inhalation line via tubing for delivering the ventilation gas into the patient's airway, the patient circuit comprising an expiratory block including an exhale valve configured to open to the atmosphere during exhalation by the patient and close during inhalation by the patient; anda controller coupled to the one or more valves for selectively directing the one or more valves between a storage configuration where ventilation gas is delivered from the compressor into the storage vessel with the storage vessel isolated from the inhalation line, and a delivery configuration where ventilation gas is delivered from the storage vessel into the patient's airway via the inhalation line and the patient circuit, the controller coupled to the first pressure sensor for detecting a first pressure within the storage vessel when the one or more valves are directed to the delivery configuration, and detecting subsequent pressure thereafter while ventilation gas is delivered from the storage vessel into the patient's airway via the inhalation line and the patient circuit, the controller determining the volume of ventilation gas delivered into the patient's airway based at least in part on the difference between the first pressure and the subsequent pressure. 25. A method for ventilating a patient having an airway using a ventilator in fluid communication with the patient's airway via an inhalation line of the ventilator, the ventilator comprising a storage vessel and a pre-fill vessel therein and a compressor within a housing, the method comprising: operating the compressor to draw ambient air into the ventilator to provide pressurized air; and alternately:a) operating the ventilator in a storage configuration where pressurized air is delivered from the compressor and the pre-fill vessel into the storage vessel to store pressurized air in the storage vessel; andb) operating the ventilator in a delivery configuration where pressurized air is delivered from the storage vessel into the patient's airway via the inhalation line and pressurized air is delivered from the compressor into the pre-fill vessel. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein, in the delivery configuration, the inhalation line is only exposed to pressurized air within the storage vessel and isolated from the compressor. 27. The method of claim 25, wherein the compressor operates substantially continuously to draw ambient air into the ventilator under pressure during both steps a) and b). 28. The method of claim 25, further comprising repeating steps a) and b) one or more times. 29. The method of claim 25, further comprising sensing that the patient is attempting to inhale, whereupon one or more valves of the ventilator are directed to the delivery configuration to deliver pressurized air from the storage vessel into the patient's airway via the inhalation line. 30. The method of claim 29, further comprising sensing that the patient is attempting to exhale, whereupon one or more valves of the ventilator are directed to the storage configuration to isolate the storage vessel from the inhalation line and recharge the storage vessel from the compressor and pre-fill vessel. 31. The method of claim 29, wherein after a predetermined inhalation time, the ventilator is directed to the storage configuration to isolate the storage vessel from the inhalation line and recharge the storage vessel from the compressor and pre-fill vessel.