Dear friends

We are in the process of buying one high frequency ventilator, but Im not decide for which of one, we only have a little experience with sensormedics, but I know that Vip Bird 8000 Drager is very good. In your experience and considering that probable we only can buy one of both, which coluld you recommend to me.

Thanks for your help

Dear Manuel,

we have Sensormedic HFV ventilators in our unit. My personal opinion is that the Sensormedics are great and powerful machines, for any-sized infant <500g to >5000g. However, tubes (ventilator-ET tube) is short and rather rigid, which makes turning the child a bit tricky, but one gets used to this. Sensormedics (if you run several in the same room as we frequently do) may also be regarded as a bit noisy.

I have also used the HFV option in the Stephanie ventilator, in small preterm infants. I really liked the Stephanie, flexible tubing, possibility to switch from MV to HFV without changing machine, less noise and the smaller format of the actual machine.

We have not tried or used the Vip Bird you're referring to.

Good luck with your purchase!

Greetings

First, a clarification.

The Bird VIP(Gold) is from Viasys and the Babylog 8000 is from Draeger. The Sensor Medics is also from Viasys.

Secondly, information.

We trialled the VIP many years ago and it was and still is a very good neonatal ventilator. I do not currently know this ventilator very well, but, I do not believe it has been made to do HFO.

The Babylog 8000, I do know well, for we were the first center in North America to purchase them back in 1991. The Bablog does do HFO, but due to the small size of the exhalation diaphram, etc., we only use it for our smaller infants <1800gr. It workes very well and has been a workhorse.

The Sensor Medics 3100A, is a great HFO ventilator. It can oscillate infants from the very tiny (<750gr) right up to the pediatric patients. It is very powerful and with some ingenuity you can set things up so that positioning with the very rigid circuit can be simplified.

Thirdly, a hint of something different.

If, oscillation is what you want and need now, that is fine. But, don't forget, the Bunnell Jet Life Pulse ventilator has been around since the 80's and has proven itself many, many times to be a very good High Frquency Ventilator with tiny infants and up to small pediatric patients, as well. We have used the Jet since 1990 and still prefer it for the infants with air leak syndromes and severe Meconium Aspiration Syndrome. Keep it in mind.

Hope this helps.