Valved Ventilator Splitter

thingiverse

Something designed to remain unused forever. Having experimented with various methods to separate ventilation from a ventilator to multiple test lungs, I've come up with my latest solution. It's intended to be straightforward and quick to print (one complete system in under 2.5 hours). The splitter features built-in valve mounts that are reversible, allowing an umbrella valve to be mounted on either side for the inspiratory or expiratory sides of the circuit. This prevents flow crossover between parallel circuits, eliminating potential contamination and enabling modulation of inspiratory pressures. For the valves, any 15-20mm umbrella valve should fit, such as those found in snorkel purge valves. The flow restrictor utilizes 22mm to 10mm adapters and a short piece of 10mm PCV tubing. I printed some clamps that I discovered on Thingiverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28447), which work fairly well. Four-way ventilation is theoretically possible, but balancing flow between two circuits is already challenging enough. As an anaesthetist, I've tested this method with our biomedical engineer on our Drager Primus anaesthetic machines. -Update April 2 2020 - issue with thinner valve herniating, second version uploaded with additional valve supports & smaller centre hole for the thinner valves we have encountered.