AN INTELLIGENT CONTROL-SYSTEM FOR VENTILATORS

This study reports on a ventilator system that consists of several int elligent modules for controlling ventilator operation. These modules a re software programs in two controllers. One controller is a personal computer used for diagnoses, determining settings and checking the eff ects of settings. The other controller is a single-chip microprocessor in a ventilator that controls the ventilator's settings in accordance with the computer settings. After setting up the system, an artificia l lung model simulating a patient's lung is used to test the system. T he result of test run indicated that it always responds to a patient's lung condition in a stable manner. Thus, the proposed system with its intelligent modules may assist clinicians in caring for patients and managing ventilator operation. (C) 1998 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Sc ience Ltd. All rights reserved.