LIQUID VENTILATOR

Liquid assisted ventilation uses perfluorochemical (PFC) liquids to replace the common gas mixture during mechanical ventilation. These liquids are able to dissolve a sufficient quantity of O2 and CO2 at atmospheric pressure to support gas exchange in the lungs. Liquid assisted ventilation can be performed either as partial or total liquid ventilation.

The total (or tidal) liquid ventilation (TLV) necessitates a dedicated mechanical system in order to ventilate completely filled lungs with a tidal volume of PFC. Such liquid ventilator is a complex mechatronic system with pumps, heater, oxygenator, condenser…, but also includes a complex thinking system with multiple feedback loops (for temperature, gas, flow control) as well as hybrid and hierarchical controls (for mode control and alarms).

The objective of the Inolivent research group is to develop total liquid ventilator in order to move the total liquid ventilaion from bench to bedside.

INOLIVENT-4, 2007.

Total liquid ventilator Inolivent-4 is the newest prototype which includes new pressure control modes. Validation of the prototype was completed in 2008 in healthy and meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) newborn lambs in 2009.
 

INOLIVENT-3, 2004.

Total liquid ventilator Inolivent-3 have independent expiratory and inspiratory piston pumps, which allow an optimized control of the ventilation profile and FRC. It also have an integrated oxygenator with heater and condenser.  Experimental researches in healthy and ARDS newborn lambs were performed with it.

INOLIVENT-2, 2001.

Our first TLV prototype Inolivent-2 used learning control adapted to a peristaltic pump. It has been used to validate the concept of total liquid ventilation  in our laboratory (the concept has been already validated in other laboratories).