An iron lung, more properly known as a negative pressure ventilator, is a medical device designed to help patients breathe when they have difficulty breathing on their own. The iron lung has largely been superseded by positive pressure ventilators, due to the fact that the iron lung is extremely difficult to use and difficult to use, although a handful of people continue to use iron lungs, and they are employed in some forms of non-invasive methods. therapy to treat people with paralysis and respiratory conditions.
Iron lung is probably most closely related in the public mind to polio, also known simply as polio, a debilitating disease that causes paralysis in some patients. At one time polio was a scourge in much of the world, until vaccines were developed in the 1950s, and the iron lung was a crucial treatment tool for people paralyzed by polio. For patients with temporary paralysis, the negative pressure ventilator would help them breathe while they recovered, and patients with permanent paralysis could be confined to iron lungs for the rest of their lives.
The iron lung consists of a long chamber, classically constructed of steel, although other materials can also be used. The patient's body is placed inside the chamber, while his head is projected through a flap to the outside. When the chamber is sealed, the pressure inside can be regulated with pumps. When the pressure in the iron lung drops below a certain point, the lungs automatically inflate in response, sucking in air from the outside, and as the pressure increases, the lungs deflate.
Versions of the iron lung were developed as early as 1800, but Philip Drinker developed the first easy-to-produce, functional iron lung in 1927. Drinkers' iron lungs quickly filled hospital wards around the world and inspired a series of improvements to facilitate its construction and handling. While iron lungs are no longer produced today, some museums with collections of old medical equipment have one on display, sometimes with accompanying material written by people who lived or spent time in iron lungs.
For the patient, life within an iron lung is very limited, ensuring that the patient requires lifelong care. The development of functional positive pressure ventilators made a huge difference in the lives of many polio patients, allowing them to be much more mobile and functional, as these ventilators rely on a tube inserted into the lungs to inflate and deflate them.