Patent ID: 9707371
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: A61M

Claim:
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; and a 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.