Preclinical Animal Testing of Emergency Resuscitator Breathing Devices

Prototype emergency resuscitator breathing devices must be benchtop-tested using mechanical lung simulators to provide an accurate measure and environment of adult pulmonary form and function. However, inanimate lung simulators cannot accurately reproduce all the physical and physiological attributes of living lung tissue, so an in vivo model is imperative for the final evaluation of each aspect of an experimental ventilation device. For example, assisted breathing is a critical component for patient comfort during ventilation. Depending on the patient’s respiratory drive and lung condition, the device should support assisted breathing rates of up to 50 breaths/min. In addition, the ventilation device must account for conditions such as coughing and deep breathing at various levels of sedation and anesthesia. Under these conditions, the device must function to maintain efficient gas exchange in vivo. This chapter provides an overview and guide of how to test an emergency resuscitator device using a porcine model.