trade name for a brand of noninvasive positive-pressure ventilator that delivers air through a close-fitting nasal mask (see noninvasive ventilation). The Nippy was one of the early ventilators from the late 1980s and early 1990s, initially used in intensive care units. Although many others are now in use, the name is often used as a generic term for devices used on general wards for ventilatory support for patients with acute exacerbations of *chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
n. 1. a device to ensure a supply of fresh air. 2. (respirator) equipment that is manually or mechanically operated to maintain a flow of air into and out of the lungs of a patient who is unable to breathe normally. Positive-pressure ventilators blow air into the patient’s lungs; air is released from the lungs when the pressure from the ventilator is relaxed (see BiPAP; Nippy; noninvasive ventilation). Negative-pressure ventilators are airtight containers in which the air pressure is decreased and increased mechanically. This draws air into and out of the patient’s lungs through the normal air passages. The original devices, known colloquially as iron lungs, had a seal around the neck and enclosed the whole body except the head. They have been replaced by cuirass ventilators, which work on a similar principle but enclose the chest only; there may be a role for these in adults and children with claustrophobia.... ventilator
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