PRESENT-DAY PATENT- A PREVIEW

Ambu bag, otherwise known as Bag Valve Mask (BVM), is utmost necessary to artificially restore breath or maintain oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in patients, who are at the last minute of breath or who have severe respiratory impairments. Usually, these devices come with a self-inflatable bag, a face mask and an oxygen inlet. During an emergency situation, a medical expert compresses the bag in a controlled fashion and lets the oxygen to pass through the face mask to accomplish manual resuscitation. But what if the experts are not available at all times, especially in emergency situations? Further, what if the Ambu bags need to be properly operated for more than an hour, which is not always easy. So, automating the resuscitation process of the Ambu bags with automatic breath monitoring can only render help at such situations. Yet, the portability of the automatic resuscitator is still a question. Recently, a portable-type electromagnetic device for providing artificial respiration, even in small clinics or ambulances has been invented. As per the invention, the major components are: (i) A Bag Valve Mask (BVM), (ii) An electromechanical actuator assembly and (iii) An electronic circuitry. Moreover, the electromagnetic actuator assembly is constituted of a ball screw, a linear motion guideway and an electric motor.  In fact, the electromagnetic actuator assembly receives signals from the electronic circuitry that encompasses a control unit, an optocoupler, a three-way selector switch for both the tidal volume as well as the breaths per minute with a breath monitoring sensor to achieve BVM compression or inflation. Upon receiving a signal to compress the BVM, the electric motor in the actuator assembly rotates and the rotational motion is linearly guided to move a semi-cylindrical plunger towards the BVM. On the contrary, to inflate the BVM, the electric motor rotates in opposite direction and the plunger is moved away from the BVM. Actually, the position of the plunger is monitored by the optocoupler in the electronic circuitry. The inventors have intentionally-used the ball screw set-up for attaining frictional loss minimization and smooth resuscitation. As this invention could provide artificial respiration for more than an hour in emergency situations, the future inventors might use it or its mechanisms to develop portable artificial Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) devices. 

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