1. Definition

Artificial nose, also known as heat and moisture exchanger (HME), is a filtration device made of several layers of water-absorbing materials and hydrophilic compounds made of fine mesh gauze, which can simulate the function of the nose to collect and preserve the heat and moisture in the exhaled air to warm and moisten the inhaled air. During inhalation, the gas passes through the HME and heat and moisture are carried into the airway, ensuring that effective and appropriate humidification is obtained in the airway. At the same time, the artificial nose has a certain filtering effect on bacteria, which can reduce the chance of infection caused by pathogenic microorganisms in the air, and also prevent the patient’s exhaled air from spreading into the surrounding environment, thus playing a dual protective role.

2. Advantages

(1) Bacteria filtration effect: The application of artificial nose can trap bacteria and secretions in the lower respiratory tract of mechanically ventilated patients, prevent them from entering the ventilator pipeline, and prevent the bacteria from the ventilator pipeline from being brought back into the patient’s airway through the breathing cycle process. The lower respiratory tract plays a dual protective role, cutting off the way that bacteria inside and outside the ventilator can lead to ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

(2) Appropriate temperature and humidity: Studies have shown that the application of artificial nose can keep the temperature in the airway at 29℃ ~ 32℃, and the relative humidity in a high range of 80% ~ 90%, which fully improves the humidity of the artificial airway. The chemical environment basically meets the physiological requirements of the respiratory tract for temperature and humidity.

(3) Reduce nursing workload: After applying artificial nasal humidification to offline patients, the nursing workload such as humidification, dripping, changing gauze, replacing intratracheal instillation and catheter is reduced. For mechanically ventilated patients, the complicated operation process of installing an electric humidifier and the nursing workload such as replacing filter paper, adding humidification water, disinfecting the humidification tank, and pouring condensate water are eliminated, which improves the management efficiency of the artificial airway.

(4) Higher safety: Because the artificial nose does not need electricity and additional heat, it is safer than the heating and humidifying system of the ventilator, and it will not input high-temperature gas, avoiding the risk of airway scalding.

3. Parameter

All components of Kangyuan artificial nose include heat and moisture exchange filter and extension tube. The performance parameters of each component are as follows.

4. Specification

5. Photo