Patent ID: 8196575

Claim:
An apparatus for monitoring and controlling flows in medical equipment including an anesthetic machine and a ventilator for influencing a patient's respiratory system, said apparatus comprising: a power supply, a microprocessor, an airway system, a plurality of microprocessor-controlled valve state monitoring units and valve actuating units, and a plurality of sensor data collecting and receiving units; said airway system comprising: a bellows and drive gas conduits at a ventilator end and breathing tubing at a patient end connected respectively to an outer chamber and a gasbag of the bellows; said drive gas conduits connecting: a pressure-reducing valve, an inhalation valve comprising an adjustable opening controlled by the microprocessor to select a control flow speed through the drive gas conduits during an inhalation period, and an exhalation valve for gas-discharging; said breathing tubing at the patient end comprising: an inhaling conduit, and an exhaling conduit; said inhalation valve being connected to the corresponding valve state monitoring units and valve actuating units; said apparatus further comprising: a ventilator end flow sensor provided in the drive gas conduits, and a patient end flow sensor in the breathing tubing at the patient end such that the airway system provides a gas flow through a series connection of the inhalation valve, the ventilator end flow sensor, and the patient end flow sensor, wherein output signals of the ventilator end flow sensor and the patient end flow sensor are delivered to the respective sensor data collecting and receiving units, wherein the microprocessor monitors control parameters of the inhalation valve, wherein the microprocessor determines deviations between gas flow values corresponding to the control parameters of the inhalation valve and the output signals of the ventilator end flow sensor and the patient end flow sensor, and wherein the microprocessor determines which of the inhalation valve, the ventilator end flow sensor, and the patient end flow sensor operates in an abnormal condition that results in the deviations.