AN ASSESSMENT OF METHODS OF HUMIDIFICATION OF INSPIRED GAS

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Abstract
An artificial lung has been constructed and a mass spectrometer used for measurement of the water content of humidified gas supplied to the lung during spontaneous and pressure ventilation. The results indicate that the most efficient and versatile humidifier is the ultrasonic nebulizer. Nebulizers employing the Bernouilli principle are less efficient, differing designs varying widely in performance. The performance of the best of this type is good, but is improved by the addition of a water heater. Heated water bath and cascade humidifiers are, in terms of water supplied to the lung, satisfactory. Spinning disc and bubble-through systems and methods of instillation and infusion are considered to be unsatisfactory. The heated bubble-through system is satisfactory for humidification of the low gas flows delivered by infant ventilators. The output of any humidifier is dependent upon the rate of flow of gas through the device.

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