The Self-Inflating Resuscitator – Evolution of an Idea

Abstract

FIRESIDE BELLOWS Simple fireside bellows were used in a number of early experiments which were fundamental to understanding the mechanics of breathing 1-3. It was this understanding which then prompted others to try using the bellows to restore breathing. This early experimental work was done by Galen, Vesalius and Paracelsus. Bellows were formally adopted for resuscitation purposes by the Royal Humane Society, London, in 1782 4. Galen Claudius Galenius (more commonly known as Galen) was born in 130 AD in Pergamon, located in the west of modern day Turkey 1. Galen realised that a knowledge of anatomy was fundamental to understanding disease. Although some of his teachings were erroneous, he made remarkable discoveries based on animal dissections. Unfortunately, the dissection of human cadavers was prohibited at that time. Respiratory physiology interested Galen greatly, and he demonstrated that air entered the chest cavity when it was expanded by the contraction of the diaphragm. Further, he realised that the trachea (which he termed the "rough artery") was the conduit for air into and out of the lungs 1. In 177 AD, Galen used bellows to inflate the lungs of various animals * B.App.

Simulation training methods in neurological surgery

“…No advance in such category occurred until the advent of “Resusci-Anne,” a mannequin made by the toy manufacturer Asmund Laerdal, for cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the 1950s. [1819] These models have quickly become popular since then, especially for rehearsing anesthesia and trauma-related minor procedures (such as chest tube placement and cricothyroidotomy). Nonetheless, they do not offer the students the level of reality proximity as the VR simulators do.…”

Design and Development of an Automated Compression Mechanism for a Bag-Valve-Mask-Based Emergency Ventilator

“…It was developed by the German engineer named Holger Hesse along with his co-developed, Danish anesthetists Henning Ruben in 1953, after initially developing a medically innovated suction pump. [16] The device is normally used in hospitals as consideration of standard equipment situated in every emergency room or any other critical care facility. The American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiac Care professionally suggest that "all healthcare providers should be familiar with the use of the bag-mask device."…”

An Anesthesiologist’s Perspective on the History of Basic Airway Management

“…Multiple new bellows-type resuscitators were introduced: the Porton (Bernard Lucas, USA), the Oxford inflating bellows, the Blease manual resuscitator, and the Cardiff inflating bellows. 150 They were followed by Henning Ruben's (Copenhagen, 1914 to 2004) self-inflating bag with a unidirectional valve, marketed since 1957 as the Artificial Manual Breathing Unit bag, 151 which could be operated with the foot or even the crook of the elbow, leaving both hands "free to keep the mask airtight and the jaw forward," suggesting the benefits of a two-hand face mask ventilation technique. 152…”