Patent ID: 8028697

Claim:
A ventilator chamber for use in a ventilator circuit for administering medication to a patient, the ventilator chamber comprising: a housing comprising: a chamber defining an interior space having an input opening and an output opening, wherein said interior space has a first cross-sectional area defined transversely to a one-way flow path from said input opening to said output opening; an input port defining an input passageway communicating with said input opening and adapted to receive a flow of gases from a ventilator intake line, wherein at least a portion of said input passageway is open and operable to pass gases during inhalation and exhalation sequences and is oriented along a first axis, and wherein said input passageway has a second cross-sectional area defined transversely to the flow path at said input opening, wherein said second cross-sectional area is less than said first cross-sectional area; a metered dose inhaler receptacle in fluid flow communication with said interior space; an output port defining an output passageway and communicating with said output opening, wherein at least a portion of said output passageway is open and operable to pass gases during the inhalation and exhalation sequences and is oriented along a second axis, wherein said first and second axes are non-parallel; and an exhaust conduit communicating between and directly with said output passageway of said output port and said input passageway of input port, wherein said exhaust conduit and said at least said portion of said input passageway define a single exhaust path during the exhalation sequence, wherein said exhaust conduit is oriented along a third axis, wherein said third axis forms an acute angle with each of said first and second axes; a one-way inhalation valve positioned to permit one-way flow from said input passageway of said input port to said interior space of said chamber, wherein said one-way inhalation valve is adapted to prevent a backflow of gas from said interior space of said chamber to said input passageway such that gases are prevented from passing from said interior space of said chamber to said input passageway through said input opening during the exhalation sequence; and a one-way exhaust valve located in said exhaust conduit, said one-way exhaust valve adapted to prevent a backflow of gas from said exhaust conduit into said output passageway.