Volume monitor for mechanical ventilation in the hyperbaric chamber.

Treatment of critically ill patients requiring ventilatory support and hemodynamic monitoring in the hyperbaric medicine department is a frequent occurrence. We provide mechanical ventilation principally with the Penlon Oxford ventilator; however, its simple design lacks volume, rate, and disconnect monitors. Therefore, we combined the ventilator with the Ohmeda volume monitor, a pulmonary function monitor for adult and pediatric use that gives reliable, accurate measurements of tidal volume, rate, and minute ventilation. The Ohmeda unit is easily adaptable to the Penlon ventilator, and may also be used to monitor respiratory function in the spontaneously breathing patient. To our knowledge, this is the only battery-driven monitor on the market that provides rate, volume, apnea, and minute ventilation within the same unit. It should be used as an adjunct to the Penlon Oxford ventilator in the hyperbaric chamber.