How do ventilators work? - Alex Gendler
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In the 16th century, physician Andreas Vesalius described how a suffocating animal could be kept alive by inserting a tube into its trachea and blowing air to inflate its lungs. Today, Vesalius’s treatise is recognized as the first description of mechanical ventilation— a crucial practice in modern medicine. So how do our modern ventilators work? Alex Gendler explains the life-saving technology.
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Additional Resources for you to Explore
See here for a history of mechanical ventilation, or here for a comprehensive overview of its current clinical applications. A video walkthrough of ventilator operation can be found here.
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Want to learn how you can improve your community through education and civic action? Visit afterthpeanut.com to learn how you can help your local community.

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