A new device for 100 per cent humidification of inspired air.docVIP

/content/4/1/054 Primary research A new device for 100 per cent humidification of inspired air Anders Larsson*, Ann Gustafsson? and Lennart Svanborg? *Gentofte University Hospital, Hellerup, Denmark, ?University Hospital, Lund, and ?Louis Gibeck AB, Upplands V?sby, Sweden Received: 15 September 1999 Revisions requested: 24 November 1999 Revisions received: 4 January 2000 Accepted: 6 January 2000 Crit Care 2000, 4:54–60 The electronic version of this article can be found online at /content/4/1/054 Published: 24 January 2000 ? Current Science Ltd Statement of findings A new humidifier for use during mechanical ventilation in endotracheally intubated patients is described and tested. The humidifier is based on a heat–moisture exchanger, which absorbs the expired heat and moisture and releases it into the inspired air. External heat and water are then added at the patient side of the heat–moisture exchanger, so that the inspired gas should reach 100% humidity (44 mg/l) at 37°C. In bench tests using constant and decelerating inspiratory flow and minute volumes of 3–25 l the device gave an absolute humidity of 41–44 mg/l, and it reduced the amount of water consumed in eight mechanically ventilated patients compared with a conventional active humidifier. During a 24-h test period there was no water condensation in the ventilator tubing with the new device. Keywords: airway humidification, heated humidifier, intensive care, mechanical ventilation Abstract Introduction: Devices for active humidification of the inspired patient side of the HME, so the inspired gas should reach 100% humidity at 37°C (44 mg H2O/l air). The external water is delivered to the humidification device via a pump onto a wick and then evaporated into the inspired air by an electrical heater. The microprocessor controls the water pump and the heater by an algorithm using the minute ventilation (which is fed into the microprocessor) and the airw