Mechanical ventilators for emergency medical care using. A manual resuscitation bag.

It is possible to construct a mechanical ventilator from the parts of a selfinflating resuscitation bag, in combination with a magnetic valve. These ventilators prove to be very helpful for transport of critically ill patients, of all categories, under various conditions. These ventilators can be used by paramedical and medical personnel, but experience in ventilation of patients is mandatory. The ventilators are cheap and reliable, with a stable performance but more sophisticated patterns of ventilation necessitate the use of volume and pressure monitoring. The mode of action of the ventilator, the compliance of different reservoir bags and the place of the mechanical monitor devices are discussed in this article.