A mouthpiece ventilator is a non-invasive ventilator that the user draws air from on an as-needed basis.
A mouthpiece ventilator system consists of the following equipment:
Mouthpiece ventilators may be used by individuals that have mild to moderate respiratory difficulty, and have good use of their facial muscles and neck, such that they are able to place their lips firmly around the mouthpiece and begin to draw air.
The mouthpiece ventilator continuously emits a very small volume of air into the circuit. Air pressure within the circuit remains relatively constant, until the user cups their lips around the mouthpiece and begins to draw air, at which time the air pressure may rise or fall relative to baseline. The ventilator is able to detect this change in pressure, and will respond by sending a predetermined volume of air into the circuit for the user to inhale.
The user may exhale air by either releasing their lips from the mouthpiece, or by exhaling through the nose.
Mouthpiece ventilators are agnostic to when and how often the user decides to draw air from it; no alarms will sound if the user does not draw from it for any length of time.
Benefits of using a mouthpiece ventilator include:
Drawbacks of using a mouthpiece ventilator include:
high acquisition cost: mouthpiece ventilators which are not acquired through government or privately funded programs may not be money well spent for patients with limited budgets
mouthpiece ventilators are rare: education may be required for care providers that are unfamiliar with the equipment
Breathing
Article Collection
General
Therapy Devices
Tasks