The CAREvent® Handheld Resuscitators are lightweight, portable, extremely durable and simple to use automatic time/volume cycled devices. They are completely pneumatic (i.e. no batteries required) and once set, deliver breath by breath consistency in delivered tidal volume, frequency, inspiratory/expiratory times and flow rates. This consistent ventilation is not achievable with a standard bag-valve-mask and prevents the delivery of excessive ventilation.

The 2005 AHA & ERC Guidelines highlighted that CPR is not performed well. From a ventilation stand point, too many breaths are delivered with too much force and in too large a volume. This excessive ventilation causes gastric inflation during BLS-CPR and when an advanced airway is used, it leads to decreased cerebral perfusion.

Replacing bag-valve-masks with a CAREvent® Hand Held Resuscitator, takes the guesswork out of how hard and often a “bag” should be squeezed. They deliver ventilation automatically freeing rescuer's hands to focus on other patient needs rather than their own bagging performance.

There are five CAREvent® Handheld models to meet the varying needs for simplicity, functionality and budgets. Two versions of each model are now available to meet either the 2005 Guideline recommendations for lower tidal volumes/frequencies or the Guidelines from 2000.


Features available include:

• “Demand Breathing” for the spontaneously breathing patient (CAREvent® ALS and CA).
• Manual Ventilation Override to supplement the automatic ventilation mode (CAREvent® ALS, EMT, CA).
• Single Slider Control with 6 settings for the simultaneous adjustment of ventilation frequency and tidal volume (CAREvent® ALS, and EMT).
• Delayed Cycling of 20 seconds when pressing the manual button after an automatic breath to provide enough time for 30 chest compressions.
• Auto Cycling Shut-Off and Restart for patients moving in and out of spontaneous breathing (CAREvent® ALS, CA). Note: In the child settings the inspired flow rate of the patient may be insufficient to cause the Automatic Circuit Shutoff to function.
• Bleed Flow on the CAREvent® CA designed to reduce the risk of entraining outside air into the device in toxic environments.
  

A mass casualty scenario such as the release of a toxic substance or other natural or man made disaster could see local resources stretched to the limit.

In an influenza, avian flu or SARS type epidemic hospitalization rates are projected to be in the 5% of the population range and ventilator support being required by 7.5% of these patients for an
average of 9.5 days. In the USA alone this could mean:

118 million clinically ill patients! •
15 million patients hospitalized! •
1.1 million requiring mechanical ventilation! •

To deal with this projected shortage, stockpiling ofventilators at the Federal/State/Province Health Authority levels has either been established or is in progress. However, even with this stockpiling of ventilators, there will undoubtedly be an insufficient quantity of ventilators to meet the ventilation needs of every patient. In addition, as highly skilled, front line healthcare providers may be the first casualties of any pandemic before it is recognized, there will also likely be a significant shortage of qualified staff available to run them.

There has been a focus on the lack of oxygen to run pneumatically ventilators, due to supplies being exhausted and additional stocks being unavailable from the manufacturers. Battery powered ventilators have therefore been proposed for stockpiling. While not requiring oxygen as a power source these products will require a significant support mechanism to ensure that they are constantly fully charged and in a ready state for any emergency. However, one readily available, renewable, inhospital resource appears to have been overlooked -
Piped Medical Air.

Every hospital has a compressor to generate medical air for use in the hospital. These compressors are electrically driven. An acute care facility must have a secondary, back up compressor. In a power outage, hospitals also have generators so that these compressors would never be out of service. Medical air outlets are provided at the bedside in all patient areas. Why not then power simple, low cost pneumatic ventilators with medical air?

The CAREvent® MCVS systems provides automatic ventilation in the form of simple to use, hand held automatic ventilators coupled to a 7 outlet manifold which can be supplied from one
medical air outlet. The CAREvent EMT® ventilators supplied with this system are, pneumatically powered time cycled, pressure limited devices which can be attached to an ET tube or any other
airway adjunct including a facemask. A 3 foot patient ventilation circuit is also available to allow for less weight on the ET tube and a built in "Gurney Clip" allows for the attachment of the ventilator to the hand rail of the gurney.

If required. Breathing air filters, HMEs and airway pressure manometers are also available to reduce the risk of airborne contamination from exhaled air, provide heat and humidification
to the patients airway and to allow the healthcare provider to monitor the airway pressure.
The 6 position slider control provides a range of tidal volume and ventilation rate settings calibrated in line with the current resuscitation guidelines. A manual overide button allows the
healthcare provider to assist the patients spontaneous respirations The 25 foot manifold supply hose and 25 foot supply hoses for each ventilator allow for this device to be positioned in
the center of the ER or other patient area to ventilate up to 7 patients simultaneously!

Ideal for short to medium term ventilation of the respiratory impaired patient and easily set up by any level of healthcare provider using the simple instructions on the user card, the
CAREvent EMT® and MCV manifold are a simple, cost effective option for pandemic/mass casualty ventilation.