Hamilton ventilators: top reliability in a demanding environment

An American study conducted in the year 2000 revealed shocking conditions in the health system. Every year, deficiencies in health care in the USA lead to between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths – more than are caused by road accidents, breast cancer or AIDS. Hamilton Medical, one of the world leaders for ventilators, has made it its goal to combat this malaise by making available innovative artificial respiration solutions. Among other things, the company has developed the intelligent respiration mode ASV (Adaptive Support Ventilation) for its ventilators. This system involves measuring different values such as the respiratory rate and minute volume (Vt) in patients and comparing them to target values. If necessary, ASV is capable of automatically adapting the ventilation pattern to the changing breathing mechanics and breathing activity of the patient. Apart from a clearly reduced risk of the patient developing permanent lung damage, the system improves the working conditions for doctors who are often under extreme pressure. ASV by no means makes physicians superfluous but it saves them time-consuming ventilator resetting procedures by executing continuous routine adjustments automatically. Clinical decisions still remain the responsibility of the doctor. However, with ASV such decisions are, thanks to easy access to all important respiration parameters, greatly simplified.

Ventilator Galileo: first device with intelligent artificial respiration mode
The first device ever to incorporate ASV was the ventilator Galileo which was launched in 1998. Since then, this intelligent artificial respiration mode has conquered intensive care units all over the world and is now seen by many physicians as an indispensable tool in treating patients. ASV not only reduces risk levels for patients while making ventilator operation easier for doctors, but it helps to lower health costs through quicker convalescence. The ventilator Galileo ideally meets the needs of intensive care medicine. This is shown by the mere fact that roughly fifteen years after its market launch, the product family continues to meet with keen interest and that it is still offered by Hamilton Medical. 

Main Syslogic computer offers compatibility
A product life cycle of fifteen years is almost an eternity for a device with complex electronic components. This immediately becomes clear when one recalls the typical life cycles of consumer electronics devices. Irrespective of whether it is a camera, computer or hi-fi component, products in this segment are totally obsolete after as little as two years. "In contrast, such a long construction period is normal in the medical field", explains Dr Yuan Lei, Product Manager for Hamilton Medical and he adds: "Accordingly, it can happen, of course, that individual components are no longer available. Of the announced main computer which we installed in the Galileo series, we had built up a considerable inventory. And yet we ran out of the devices in 2009." Since the Galileo series continued to be important for Hamilton, however, and there was still strong market demand for this complete solution, Hamilton Medical had to come up with a solution. "From a business management point of view, taking a successful product off the market is always a bad idea", Product Manager Dr Yuan Lei observes. Eventually, the Grisons-based medical technology manufacturer found industrial computer specialist Syslogic, a competent partner with extensive experience and with the required product platform. This partner was able to adjust a PC/104 board in such a way that compatibility was ensured.

Apart from the development and manufacture of industrial computers and touch panel solutions for industrial applications, Syslogic has made a name for itself in the European retrofit market. In addition, the company boasts numerous client references in the medical, engineering and railway industries. Retrofit means modernization or retrofitting of existing systems or devices which are no longer available. One key aspect in this connection is ensuring a reliable supply of spare parts – and it is precisely in this area that Syslogic offers unique know-how. Compared to the current situation, computer development was still in its infancy ten to twenty years ago. Given this rapid development, it is now rather difficult to procure compatible IT components for older systems, since they are usually no longer stocked or produced. Thanks to its 25 years of experience, Swiss industrial electronics specialist Syslogic, which maintains its own platform development, is in a position to offer standard products which precisely match retrofit requirements and which are therefore compatible even with systems from the 1980s. This compatibility saves clients cost-intensive and time-consuming software adjustments.

Product Manager Dr Yuan Lei describes how the cooperation with Syslogic began: "Syslogic has the necessary drivers as well as scalable platforms. Working closely with our development department and with the processor manufacturer, Syslogic was able to adjust its PC/104 boards to our existing system quickly and smoothly. Beside software compatibility, graphics integration via a TTL interface, with which the IPC/NETIPC-4 boards used are equipped, was very important."

With the retro-compatible boards by Syslogic which within the ventilator are responsible for the HMI (Human Machine Interface), Hamilton is capable of extending the product life cycle of the Galileo series by at least five years. Due to the broad functional spectrum of Galileo which incorporates respiration modes for neonates as well as adults, the devices are still sought-after in the market today. Meanwhile, the next innovative generations of the further developed Hamilton ventilators are gaining in importance. As a result, the Galileo series will, in the foreseeable future, be discontinued after more than fifteen years. During that time the series not only made substantial contribution to, but even co-determined the direction of, technological developments in the field.