Portable ventilators are often used with patients who require long-term breathing support. Current-generation models are compact and lightweight and offer some of the same features that once were available only on costly intensive care ventilators. As technological advances continue to prolong life for critically ill patients and make life possible for both children and adults with otherwise fatal conditions, portable ventilators are helping to make these patients more comfortable and more mobile. They ease the transport of patients within the hospital, and they allow some difficult-to-ventilate patients, especially infants, to receive ventilation at home. In this article, we evaluate three portable/transport ventilators from three suppliers, rating them separately for (1) home care and long-term care applications and (2) in-hospital transport applications. Our ratings place special emphasis on ventilator performance, alarm effectiveness, ease of use, and portability. We found that all the units provide at least satisfactory ventilation, but that their other characteristics vary considerably. For home care and long-term care, we rate two units Acceptable--but one of them is suitable for use only if certain steps related to its alarm volume are taken. The third unit is Not Recommended because of significant drawbacks associated with its ease of use, alarms, and portability. For in-hospital transport, we rate one unit Preferred because it has many features beneficial for transporting critically ill patients. A second unit is Acceptable, while the third is Not Recommended, again because of its many drawbacks.
