Design of a lung simulator for teaching lung mechanics in mechanical ventilation

Over the last 10 years, noninvasive ventilation has become a treatment option for respiratory insufficiency in pulmonology services. The technique is currently included in pulmonology teaching programs. Physicians and nurses should understand the devices they use and the interaction between the patient and the ventilator in terms of respiratory mechanics, adaptation, and synchronization. We present a readily assembled lung simulator for teaching purposes that is reproducible and interactive. Based on a bag-in-box system, this model allows the concepts of respiratory mechanics in mechanical ventilation to be taught simply and graphically in that it reproduces the patterns of restriction, obstruction, and the presence of leaks. It is possible to demonstrate how each ventilation parameter acts and the mechanical response elicited. It can also readily simulate asynchrony and demonstrate how this problem can be corrected.