Mechanical Test Lung Simulation Device

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many research teams have developed mechanical ventilation devices to overcome the critical situation for the health system. In order to verify that a ventilator works properly a test lung is mandatory. This paper presents a mechanical test lung solution for ventilator testing with variable elastance. Different solutions for the test lung were tested and the one that provided the most accurate behavior of pulmonary mechanics was chosen. A matehmatical model was build and the key parameters of the device obtained through simulation were compared with the ones obtained through physical testing. The test lung was calibrated using high precision pressure and displacement sensors and it is equipped with a manometer and a volume needle indicator so that it can be used independent of the data acquisition system.