Patent ID: 8230857

Claim:
A ventilator adapted to deliver a flow of gas to an airway of a user, and to communicate a flow of gas from the airway of the user in a controlled manner, the ventilator comprising: a conduit that is configured to carry a flow of gas from the airway of the user, a first valve operatively coupled to the conduit and adapted to control a pressure or rate of the flow of gas exhausted from the conduit, a first pressure sensor operatively coupled to the conduit and adapted to monitor a pressure of the gas in the conduit, a controller adapted to control the first valve based on an output of the first sensor, and a restrictor in the conduit, wherein the restrictor is configured to be placed between the first pressure sensor and the user, the restrictor being configured to restrict a flow of gas from the user to the first valve, wherein the restrictor is configured to define a first volume of gas in the conduit between the first valve and the restrictor and a second volume of gas in the conduit between the user and the restrictor, and wherein the controller controls actuation of the first pressure valve based on a pressure of the first volume monitored by the first pressure sensor.