I think I know how this is going to turn out from reading all the postings. Our facility is about to replace our fleet. If someone dropped 2 million dollars in your lap and you could choose any vent "currently" on the market which would it be and why? Try, try, try to give empirical evidence in support of your purchase, not just fluff. I truly appreciate your feedback. Thanks.

[VentWorld note: original posted March 6, 2002]

The Evita 4 by far is the best ventilator on the market. The Evita 4 has Autoflow, which nobody else has proven that they have.

In Autoflow, Flow is regulated in accordance to Vt set and Lung compliance. By doing that, all breaths in all Volume modes are delivered with the lowest possible pressure. Also with autoflow, the patient can take up to 180Lpm of flow. Basically, the Evita provides no limitations on how much flow the patient can take as well as how much volume they can take in. The machine allows for free breathing. The machine also incorporates an active exhalation valve that lets the patient to spontaneously breath on top of a breath if they want to and the patient can also cough against this valve without generating a high pressure alarm. Nor is the patient coughing against a closed valve. The machine senses a pressure spike and opens the valve to relieve the pressure.

Other features that the Evita has is leak compensation, all loops, the loops can be zoomed and you can look at inflection points, ATC(automatic tube compensation) where by the machine compensates for tube resistance so that we are electronically extubating the patient. The machine also has APRV(Airway Pressure Release ventilation), ILV(Independent Lung Ventilation) capability, PPS(Proportional Pressure Support) similar to PAV and NIV mode(Non invasive mode) for BIPAP.

Other tools that the machine has are: Trending of most parameters, a logbook of all alarms, vent changes, you name it, the machine lets you reference loops so you can see how well a patient is responding to ventilation, NIFs, RSBi(tobin numbers). The machine also has the capability to measure ETCO2. It is able to calculate, Vt/VD, VCO2.

There is a huge future for this machine. In fact, alot of other manufacturers are chasing Drager and will be for a long time. Siemens has a new vent that's out, but they have no capability at the time to have modes like APRV, ATC, PPS, NIV. I am sure they will be out in a year or so....the scary thing is Drager has has APRV since 1989, and ATC and PPS since 1997. This is something to keep in mind.

Once again, Ryan you're impuning your credibility and professionalism with your obvious and unabashed
pro-Drager misinformation. I won't waste the readers' time here by taking you to task on a point by point basis
but keep in mind that while all of us have opinions and show favoritism one time or another, your
bald-faced, chauvanistic Drager jingoism is an embarrassment. And if you're not embarrased by it, you should be!

Stan

Now that is some good stuff. Cudo's Stan.

You stated that nobody has the equivalent of Autoflow. that's interesting since the Siemens 300 had PRVC in 1992. Listen to any Drager rep and they will state that autoflow is "just like "prvc". And, if you did your homework, you would see that the specs for autoflow are exactly what the the specs are for prvc. But, of course, autoflow only looks at the expiratory volume and not the inspiratory volume, so issues with your flow sensor will cause runaway volumes. But I suppose that is a benefit somehow right? Don't get me wrong, I think the Drager is a good machine, however it is hardly head and shoulders above everything else out there. But they sure do treat their empolyees well eh ryan?

no doubt 840 is the best. BUY BUY BUY!!

Go ahead and buy buy buy, but if you want to truly be objective, check out www.servo-i.com you may be able to buy buy buy for less less less with more functionality

Does Servo-I got ARPV? PAV? Bilevel ? and VC+? NO!!

I believe the question you are trying to ask is does the servo-i HAVE APRV, PAV Bi-Level and VC+

let's see....does the 840 have APRV AND Bi-Level? just bilevel

Does the 840 have VC+........no
Does the 840 have PAV?......no
Does the i have what you want to do with VC+?...yes, and the 300 had it 10 years ago
Will the i have APRV before the 840 has VC+...probably
Does the 840 have trending?.....nope
Do Drager and Servo have trending......yep
Can Servo and Drager users type and speak properly? let the forum be the judge.....

The real issue in my mind...if one is on this forum to be a cheerleader please wear a short skirt, shave those legs, get a video cam and a website, then give me the link. This is getting ridiculous!

For instance..

A while back someone posted something about Drager having a microcontroller and not a microprocessor. I would actually be interested in a sane and rational discussion of what that may or may not entail. But NO, it would probably degenerate into a vendor war by proxy. We are RTs and need to realize that we are players on the field, a field which may contain any of these ventilators. Of course we are going to have our prejudice, even our informed and educated opinions about which ventilator is best. But to come to this forum with an agenda to boost or blast any particular ventilator is, IMO, professionally immature at best.