A new non-volumetric pulsatile ventilator prototype for neonatal Total Liquid Ventilation.

An innovative ventilator for neonatal Total Liquid Ventilation (TLV) was developed by our research group to perform TLV in a pressure-controlled lung-protective strategy. The ventilator design was based on the outcomes of a computational model (COMSOL Multiphysics) aimed at optimising fluidynamics and gas exchange. The TLV prototype (Pro-Li-Ve) integrates the perfluorocarbon (PFC) pumping and oxygenating functions, in a non-volumetric pulsatile device made of silicone flat membranes, allowing gas exchange and simultaneous energy transfer from pressurized gas to PFC. Pro-Li-Ve hydraulic characterization and gas exchange evaluation was performed in vitro by connecting the device to an ad hoc developed model lung. Preliminary in vivo trials on juvenile rabbits are being performed to prove the device capability to support the ventilation in small animals.