Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/444

 416

��Popular Science Monthly

��Saving the Asphyxiated with a New Air-Pump

THE man pictured in the photograph is being revived by a kingmotor, which is a resuscitating machine invent- ed by two Chicago men. It competes with the puhnotor in the Ufe-saving work of the United States Bureau of Mines, and is being adopted by hospitals, fire com- panies and hfe-saving stations. Its use- fuhiess extends to cases of poisoning by

���A new resuscitating machine has been invented which so nicely meets any requirements that it can be operated in a rocking boat or a swaying ambulance

gases and fumes, mining accidents, elec- tric shock, the reactie of persons appar- ently drowned or o\-ercome by the smoke of fires, cases of collapse through exces- sive anesthesi#and the rescue of infants asphyxiated at birth.

The device has two independent air cylinders, the pistons of both of which are attached to and operated by o;ie han- dle. Air is drawn into the inspiration cylinder on the upstroke. On the down stroke it is compressed and forced through an outlet-valve into the metal inspiration-tube and thence through the face mask into the mouth and to the lung. When the lung has been expand- ed until full, its natural resilience will

��assert itself, and expel the air into the expiration cylinder of the lungmotor. Suction action is avoided.

The lungmotor introduces a small vol- ume of air at a time, and keeps a full volume of air in the limg. The natural resilience of the lung comes into opera- tion as a safety-valve in forcing out ex- cessive air and obviating the dangers that attend the introduction of too great a volume of air, which would cause ob- struction to the flow of blood to the lung

and prove disastrous to the

patient.

The appliance has a very delicate pump-regulating mechanism. A device for limiting the degrees of pres- sure within the lungs of the patient is combined with mechanism for controlling the supply of air — or of oxygen if oxygen is em- ployed, as it may be. This minimizes the possibility of injury to the delicate struc- ture of the lungs through abnormal pressures. A num- ber of stops are located at different positions on the piston-rod. These serve to limit movement of the pis- ton to be reciprocated. It is, of course, necessary to regulate the operation of the device so as to force much more air into the lungs of an adult person than would be used in the case of a child. A limiting valve is interposed in a tul)e that leads from the inspiration cyl- inder or piuiip to the mouthpiece applied to the patient. This limiting valve regu- lates the amount of air or oxygen deliv- ered to the mouthpiece and thus protects the patient's lungs against pressure of the air from the machine. This feature, of the device is important because of the hurry and confusion that is likely to exist wbere a patient has collapsed. It may Ijc noted in concluding that the device can be operated in a rocking boat, a sway- ing ambulance, or while the patient is being carried on a stretcher. An oxygen generator can be connected with the ma- chine when needed.

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