Development of Field Portable Ventilator Systems for Domestic and Military Emergency Medical Response

Immediate, on-scene emergency medical response can reduce the number of fatalities sustained during military operations. Without medical support, injured soldiers must be transported over significant distances to a facility capable of administering definitive medical care, an action that may not be possible. Domestic mass casualty support has also come to the forefront recently, with the continuing threat of terrorism. Current capabilities for providing simple respiratory assistance for hundreds or even thousands of victims of chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction do not exist. We report here on the development of two lightweight, portable ventilator and medical diagnostic systems for the treatment of far-forward battlefield and mass civilian casualties.