Assessment of the Efficacy of an Automated AMBU Bag Operating Device (RC Device) in Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation: A Pilot Study

Abstract Background  Providing efficient mechanical ventilation using artificial manual breathing unit is a tiring and laborious task for healthcare providers. The current pilot study was planned to assess the efficacy of an automated artificial mechanical breathing unit (respiration control [RC] device) in patients requiring mechanical ventilation in a tertiary care hospital in North India. RC device is an automated bag valve mask ventilator developed in collaboration with Gyrodrive Machineries (P) Ltd. India and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. Methods  Ten adult patients from the emergency and trauma section requiring mechanical ventilation who were unable to obtain ventilators in the intensive care unit were enrolled in the study. The vital parameters of the patients and the respiratory parameters from arterial blood gas were recorded at given time periods. Results  All 10 patients recruited in the study were ventilated using the RC device for at least 24 hours. The mean age of the patients was 32.3 ± 4.3 years. The mean Glasgow coma scale was 7.2 ± 2.0 (range: 3–10). The heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure remained within normal limits. There were no episodes of desaturation in any of the patients. The patients' care provider rated their satisfaction with the device as excellent in two patients and good in eight patients. Conclusion  RC device has shown a promising result in providing satisfactory care among trauma patients and may be used in providing routine mechanical ventilation among these patients.