Mechanical Method

Mechanical methods of artificial respiration become necessary in pepole who are very ill and are admitted to intensive care units. Most commonly, patients who are suffering from hypoxic or hypercapnia-associated respiratory distress require mechanical ventilation, because these patients need enhanced ventilation for longer periods without compromising airways’ safety.

Additionally, mechanical ventilation may also be needed during surgical procedures and as a supportive therapy in patients suffering from neuromuscular disorders. Furthermore, patients suffering from conditions such as hemoptysis, angioedema, heart failure, and shock require mechanical ventilation during treatment. Mechanical ventilation is very essential to the treatment of respiratory failure due to paralysis of respiratory muscles.

Mechanical methods are of two types:

1. Drinker method
2. Ventilation method

Drinker Method

In Drinker method, positive and negative pressure is alternately pumped into the chamber while the patient is inside with their head outside. The patient inhales and extends their chest under negative pressure, and exhales under positive pressure. This is a mechanical method and follow these steps-

• The machine used in this method is called an iron lung chamber or tank respirator.
• The equipment has an airtight chamber, made of iron or steel.
• The subject is placed inside this chamber with the head outside the chamber.
• Using some pumps, the pressure inside the chamber is made positive and negative alternately.
• During the negative pressure in the chamber, the subject’s thoracic cage expands and inspiration occurs and during positive pressure, the expiration occurs.

Ventilation Method

The term “mechanical ventilation” in medicine refers to artificial ventilation in which a patient’s natural breathing is supplemented or replaced by mechanical methods.

• Apparatus used for ventilation is called a ventilator. The patient will be intra-tracheal intubated by passing a rubber tube into the trachea through the mouth.
• By using a pump, air or oxygen is pumped into the lungs with a certain pressure, intermittently.
• When air is pumped, inflation of lungs takes place and inspiration occur. When the pump is stopped, expiration occurs and the cycle is repeated.
• There are two types of ventilators based on different control variables, although operated in the same mode.
  • Volume ventilator
  • Pressure ventilator

1. Volume ventilator: A constant volume of air is pumped into the lungs of the patients, albeit intermittently, with the application of minimum pressure.

2. Pressure ventilator: Here, air is pumped into the lungs of the subject at a constantly high pressure.

Artificial respiration means saving situations to restore a person’s breathing through artificial means. Artificial respiration is a part of basic life support (BLS). Understanding various artificial respiration methods is crucial to saving someone’s life in emergencies.

These are non-invasive emergency procedures performed for the immediate survival of patients. In this article, we will cover the artificial respiration meaning, methods, types of artificial respiration, and also their importance.