Automatic air volume control system for ventilation of two patients using a single ventilator: a large animal model study

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak led to a global ventilator shortage. Hence, various strategies for using a single ventilator to support multiple patients have been considered. A device called Ventil previously validated for independent lung ventilation was used in this study to evaluate its usability for shared ventilation. We performed experiments with a total number of 16 animals. Eight pairs of pigs were ventilated by a ventilator or anesthetic machine and by Ventil for up to 27 h. In one experiment, 200 ml of saline was introduced to one subject’s lungs to reduce their compliance. The experiments were analyzed in terms of arterial blood gases and respiratory parameters. In addition to the animal study, we performed a series of laboratory experiments with artificial lungs (ALs). The resistance and compliance of one AL (affected) were altered, while the tidal volume (TV) and peak pressure (Ppeak) in the second (unaffected) AL were analyzed. In addition, to assess the risk of transmission of pathogens between AL respiratory tracts, laboratory tests were performed using phantoms of virus particles. The physiological level of analyzed parameters in ventilated animals was maintained, except for CO(2) tension, for which a permissive hypercapnia was indicated. Experiments did not lead to injuries in the animal’s lungs except for one subject, as indicated by CT scan analysis. In laboratory experiments, changes in TV and Ppeak in the unaffected AL were less than 11%, except for 2 cases where the TV change was 20%. No cross-contamination was found in simulations of pathogen transmission. We conclude that ventilation using Ventil can be considered safe in patients undergoing deep sedation without spontaneous breathing efforts.