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Do we have any "iron lung" negative displacement ventilators still in service or did every single one get phased out? I've heard those are easier on the lungs i

• inportb 7y ago
  We have cuirass ventilators now.
• ashtonkem 7y ago
  I’m no expert, but the videos out of Italy showed patients in personal pressurized plastic bubbles rather than being intubated, so maybe that’s the same thing?
• rzzzt 7y ago
  As of 2018, there were only 3 in service in the US: https://people.com/health/polio-survivor-last-3-people-use-iron-lung/ https://people.com/health/polio-survivor-last-3-people-use-i... There were quite a few interviews done in recent years with people who still rely on them; one recurring difficulty they talk about is that both expertise and availability of parts became scarce over time, so it becomes harder and harder to keep the machines running.
• ardy42 7y ago
  > Do we have any "iron lung" negative displacement ventilators still in service or did every single one get phased out? I've heard those are easier on the lungs in concept and I'm wondering if some got dug out of basements to fight covid-19 and their success rates. I wonder if it would make more sense for non-medical-device companies like GM to produce that type of ventilator, rather than the more modern types. The technology is simpler and the required manufacturing process are probably closer to their core competencies.