Evaluation of the ventilator-user interface of 2 new advanced compact transport ventilators.

BACKGROUND Mechanical ventilation during patient transport frequently utilizes compact portable pneumatic ventilators that have limited ventilator-settings options. New advanced transport ventilators should yield quality improvements, but their user-friendliness needs to be tested. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the ventilator-user interface of 2 new transport ventilators. METHODS This was a 2-center descriptive study in which the ventilator-user interfaces of the Oxylog 3000 and Elisée 250 were compared by 20 French senior emergency physicians who were initially unfamiliar with these ventilators. Each physician carried out 15 tasks with each ventilator and then assigned each ventilator a satisfaction score. RESULTS With the Elisée 250 the task success rate was significantly higher (85.6% vs 66.6% with the Oxylog 3000, p < 0.0001), and the total number of errors was lower (46 vs 113). The main errors were related to inspiratory flow settings with the Oxylog 3000 (31 errors), inspiratory-expiratory ratio settings with the Elisée 250 (11 errors), ventilation mode choice with the Oxylog 3000 (17 errors), trigger sensitivity setting with the Elisée 250 (16 errors) and the Oxylog 3000 (11 errors), and alarm range setting with the Oxylog 3000 (10 errors). The mean satisfaction score was significantly better with the Elisée 250 (81% +/- 7, range 64-92%) than with the Oxylog 3000 (66% +/- 10, range 49-87%) (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The Elisée 250 ventilator-user interface was easier to use than that of the Oxylog 3000. The applicability of these results to other types of users will require further studies, but the types of errors found in our study might help future users.

[1]  R. Branson,et al.  Work of breathing characteristics of seven portable ventilators. , 2001, Resuscitation.

[2]  D. Roberts,et al.  Effect of inspiratory flow rate on respiratory rate in intubated ventilated patients. , 1997, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.

[3]  F. Laghi.  Effect of inspiratory time and flow settings during assist–control ventilation , 2003, Current opinion in critical care.

[4]  T. Similowski,et al.  Evaluation of the user-friendliness of 11 home mechanical ventilators , 2006, European Respiratory Journal.

[5]  M. Tobin,et al.  Effect of imposed inflation time on respiratory frequency and hyperinflation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. , 2001, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.

[6]  C. Guérin,et al.  Evaluation of ventilators used during transport of ICU patients – a bench study , 2002, Intensive Care Medicine.

[7]  Robert L Chatburn,et al.  Computer control of mechanical ventilation. , 2004, Respiratory care.

[8]  R. Branson,et al.  Transport ventilators. , 2002, Respiratory Care Clinics.

[9]  Albert W. Wu,et al.  Incidents relating to the intra-hospital transfer of critically ill patients , 2004, Intensive Care Medicine.

[10]  V. Ranieri,et al.  Patient‐ventilator interactions in the critically ill , 1997 .

[11]  Robert E. Fromm,et al.  Guidelines for the inter- and intrahospital transport of critically ill patients* , 2004, Critical care medicine.

[12]  C. Waydhas,et al.  Equipment review: Intrahospital transport of critically ill patients , 1999, Critical care.

[13]  Roger Frost,et al.  International Organization for Standardization (ISO) , 2004 .

[14]  C. Waydhas,et al.  Deterioration of respiratory function after intra-hospital transport of critically ill surgical patients , 1995, Intensive Care Medicine.

[15]  F. Lellouche,et al.  Convivialité des nouveaux ventilateurs , 2005 .

[16]  M. Nishimura,et al.  Intrahospital transport of critically ill patients using ventilator with patient-triggering function. , 2003, Chest.

[17]  J. Garrett,et al.  Effectiveness of medical resident education in mechanical ventilation. , 2003, American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.

[18]  Anna-Lisa Osvalder,et al.  Usability Evaluation of a Gui Prototype for a Ventilator Machine , 2004, Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing.