ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of the structure and function of mechanical ventilators. Mechanical ventilators, which are often also called respirators, are used to artificially ventilate the lungs of patients who are unable to naturally breathe from the atmosphere. In almost 100 years of development, many mechanical ventilators with different designs have been developed [Mushin et al., 1980; Philbeam, 1998]. The very early devices used bellows that were manually operated to inflate the lungs. Today’s respirators employ an array of sophisticated components such as microprocessors, fast response servo valves, and precision transducers to perform the task of ventilating the lungs. The changes in the design of ventilators have come about as the result of improvements in engineering the ventilator components and the advent of new therapy modes by clinicians. A large variety of ventilators are now available for short-term treatment of acute respiratory problems as well as long-term therapy for chronic respiratory conditions.
