Bellows are protective coverings on machines, equipment, aisles, and so on used widely across industries. They help protect the machines from spillage, external damage, direct heat, vibration, and so on. Based on the material, specifications, these bellows find specific applications across industries, such as ventilator bellows in the medical industry. Bellows have been used in anesthesia systems and ventilators in this industry, and they have very specific functions to perform. This post discusses the role of bellows in ventilators.
Details About Ventilator Bellows
Most anesthesia machine ventilators have timers for respiration cycle, and this timer repeats in a cyclic manner. These machines have ascending bellows which do not collapse upon disconnection, and hence are safer, although some new machines have descending bellows as well. These bellows are covered in a transparent plastic enclosure and function as an interface between the breathing system gas and driving gas in the ventilator. So, these types of bellows go beyond just protecting the machines, they perform specific functions. Actually, bellows have replaced the piston used in many of the original systems as they are much safer and effective. They offer other advantages as well. These are used in anesthesia systems for mechanical ventilation in surgical rooms as they help hold the anesthetic gases and enable manual ventilation for patients. Primarily, a patient may require either supported ventilation or mechanically controlled ventilation. Bellows are designed keeping in mind both of these requirements. The former bellows are used in operation theaters, while the latter are used in intensive care units. Here, the volume of air supplied to a patient and the pressure at which it is adjusted, both need to be controlled. Here’s a brief of how the functioning of bellows differs in these two types of ventilator systems.
- Support Ventilation: In this case, the pressure in the breathing circuit needs to adjusted for which a trigger is used. There is a sensor which senses the change in pressure or air flow for respiration. A preset quantity of air flow for ventilator support starts after this change is detected. This volume largely also depends upon the patient’s capacity and the condition of the lungs to take in air.
- Controlled Mechanical Ventilation: Here, anesthetic gases need to be delivered accurately and efficiently. For this, a specific tidal volume needs to be set, bellows have a huge capacity. Once this volume is set, it is controlled by the drive gas which enters the bellows and chamber and is pushed out into the breathing circuit because of the movement of the bellows.
If you are a healthcare organization or a biomedical equipment manufacturer, you may be interested in ventilator bellows or other types of bellows required in the healthcare sector. While doing so, ensure you source them from reliable manufacturers and suppliers who understand your requirements and can customize the bellows for you. Nabell USA Corp is a well-known manufacturer and supplier of ventilator bellows and other types of bellows required in the medical industry. They have an excellent team of design engineers with a vast industry experience, who make cost-effective, robust, and durable bellows.