A Simulated Single Ventilator / Dual Patient Ventilation Strategy for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome During the COVID-19 Pandemic

TY - UNPB

T1 - A Simulated Single Ventilator / Dual Patient Ventilation Strategy for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome During the COVID-19 Pandemic

AU - Solís-Lemus, José A.

AU - Costar, Edward

AU - Doorly, Denis

AU - Kerrigan, Eric C.

AU - Kennedy, Caroline H.

AU - Tait, Frances

AU - Niederer, Steven

AU - Vincent, Peter E.

AU - Williams, Steven E.

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - The potential for acute shortages of ventilators at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic has raised the possibility of needing to support two patients from a single ventilator. To provide a system for understanding and prototyping designs we have developed a mathematical model of two patients supported by a mechanical ventilator. We propose a standard setup where we simulate the introduction of T-splitters to supply air to two patients and a modified setup where we introduce a variable resistance in each inhalation pathway and one-way valves in each exhalation pathway. Using the standard setup, we demonstrate that ventilating two patients with mismatched lung compliances from a single ventilator will lead to clinically-significant reductions in tidal volume in the patient with the lowest respiratory compliance. Using the modified setup, we demonstrate that it could be possible to achieve the same tidal volumes in two patients with mismatched lung compliances, and we show that the tidal volume of one patient can be manipulated independently of the other. The results indicate that, with appropriate modifications, two patients could be supported from a single ventilator with independent control of tidal volumes.Data, code and materials:The Simulink models used in this research have been uploaded to a Git repository at the following address: https://github.com/splitvent/splitvent.

AB - The potential for acute shortages of ventilators at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic has raised the possibility of needing to support two patients from a single ventilator. To provide a system for understanding and prototyping designs we have developed a mathematical model of two patients supported by a mechanical ventilator. We propose a standard setup where we simulate the introduction of T-splitters to supply air to two patients and a modified setup where we introduce a variable resistance in each inhalation pathway and one-way valves in each exhalation pathway. Using the standard setup, we demonstrate that ventilating two patients with mismatched lung compliances from a single ventilator will lead to clinically-significant reductions in tidal volume in the patient with the lowest respiratory compliance. Using the modified setup, we demonstrate that it could be possible to achieve the same tidal volumes in two patients with mismatched lung compliances, and we show that the tidal volume of one patient can be manipulated independently of the other. The results indicate that, with appropriate modifications, two patients could be supported from a single ventilator with independent control of tidal volumes.Data, code and materials:The Simulink models used in this research have been uploaded to a Git repository at the following address: https://github.com/splitvent/splitvent.

KW - Ventilator splitting Ventilator sharing Covid-19 Coronavirus Acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS

U2 - 10.1101/2020.04.07.20056309

DO - 10.1101/2020.04.07.20056309

M3 - Preprint

T3 - MedRxiv

BT - A Simulated Single Ventilator / Dual Patient Ventilation Strategy for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome During the COVID-19 Pandemic

PB - MedRxiv

ER -