Michigan Instruments donates test lungs

Students in nursing and health professions programs will have opportunities to learn respiratory care using state-of-the-art training and test lung devices donated by a company that developed the “Michigan Lung.”

Michigan Instruments Inc., based in Grand Rapids, donated two respiratory simulation units to Grand Valley on November 20 at the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences. Joe Baldwin, president of the medical equipment manufacturing company, said the units will provide students with real-time data, measurements and responses that simulate those of a respiratory patient.

“It is our privilege to provide the latest advancements in training and test lung products to Grand Valley State University,” Baldwin said. “Our Michigan Lung is recognized worldwide and we are fortunate to work with Grand Valley to ensure students in West Michigan are able to receive the best possible training.”

Atomic Object, a software development and web firm, was hired by Michigan Instruments to create cutting-edge software — Pnue View 3 — for the TTL devices. Atomic Object co-founder Carl Erickson left an academic career at Grand Valley to start Atomic Object. Many of the company’s Grand Rapids staff members have Grand Valley degrees.

Michael W. Wambach, chair of the Allied Health Sciences Department, said this donation will be put to use almost immediately by students and faculty members in nursing, physician assistant studies, and respiratory therapy.

“These Michigan Instruments products reproduce the movement of lungs in normal and abnormal states,” Wambach said. “Faculty will be better able to simulate different pulmonary disease states with varying amounts of lung stiffness and changes in airway resistance to gas movement.”

The donation will also reach Grand Valley students who are enrolled in the respiratory therapy program at Muskegon Community College as the program is a collaborative effort between Grand Valley and MCC.

The Michigan Lung is regarded as the most versatile, reliable training and test lung on the market. Baldwin said the software updates by Atomic Object allow for hundreds of simulated patient scenarios.