Patent ID: 8763610

Claim:
A process for recovery of a noble gas fraction from the expiration gas exhaled by a ventilated patient, which process comprises: gathering the expiration gas from an exhaled gas path fluidly connected to and downstream of an intubation tube, the intubation tube being fluidly connectable to the patient's mouth to receive the expiration gas therein; passing the expiration gas through a plug-in gas selection element located in the exhaled gas path, the plug-in gas selection element comprising a separation membrane impermeable to the noble gas fraction to separate the noble gas fraction from the rest of the expiration gas when the expiration gas contacts the separation membrane; releasing the rest of the expiration gas into the environment; retaining the noble gas fraction in the exhaled gas path; adding a fresh respiration gas mixture to the noble gas fraction to form a treated respiration gas; and delivering the treated respiration gas to the patient.