Intermittent assisted ventilation

Abstract
A simple ventilator assistor was utilised in three of six patients after transthoracic repair of hiatus hernia. The device was found to be easy and convenient to use but in the pilot study produced no demonstrable improvement in respiratory function. At 10 days postoperation, the arterial oxygen tension had not risen to a preoperative level in five patients, and the FVC and FEVI were less than the values obtained before surgery in every patient.