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ventilator

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ventilator

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Also known as respirator, mechanical respirators, mechanical respirator, mechanical ventilator, mechanical ventilators

A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. Ventilators may be computerized microprocessor-controlled machines, but patients can also be ventilated with a simple, hand-operated bag valve mask. Ventilators are chiefly used in intensive-care medicine, home care, and emergency medicine (as standalone units) and in anesthesiology (as a component of an anesthesia machine).

AI overview

A ventilator is a medical device that mechanically moves air in and out of a patient's lungs, delivering breaths when someone cannot breathe on their own or is not breathing adequately. These machines range from simple hand-operated devices to computerized systems and are commonly used in hospitals, emergency settings, and home care to keep patients alive.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Medical equipment.name
Medical ventilator
Medical equipment.image
Hamilton C6.jpg
Medical equipment.caption
Hamilton C6 Ventilator
Medical equipment.specialty
Pulmonology

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

240,273 papers

via PubMed

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Commons category
Ventilators
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~18 min read

Article

12 sections
Contents
  • Function
  • Ventilator pressures labeled
  • Safety-critical system
  • History
  • Microprocessor ventilators
  • Open-source ventilators
  • COVID-19 pandemic
  • United States
  • Canada
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently. Ventilators may be computerized microprocessor-controlled machines, but patients can also be ventilated with a simple, hand-operated bag valve mask. Ventilators are chiefly used in intensive-care medicine, home care, and emergency medicine (as standalone units) and in anesthesiology (as a component of an anesthesia machine).

Ventilators are sometimes called "respirators", a term commonly used for them in the 1950s (particularly the "Bird respirator"). However, contemporary medical terminology uses the word "respirator" to refer to a face-mask that protects wearers against hazardous airborne substances.

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