Background and Identification

As a highly educated aeronautical engineer and pilot in World War II, Forrest M. Bird, Ph.D., experimented with foreign oxygen regulators aboard captured aircrafts. Using this technology, he was inspired to revolutionize medical technology and invented the first respirator of its kind. “The Bird” was the first low-cost, mass-produced, highly reliable medical pressure respirator in the world. Bird respirators were in high demand from their invention in the 1950s throughout the early 1980s until Dr. Bird established the family-run company, Percussionaire®.

The Bird 8400 ST was released in 1990 as a product of Percussionaire® with intended use for hospitals and medical facilities. Although it is no longer in mainstream use, this technology served as a foundation for future ventilators like Percussionaire’s VDR®-4, IPV®-2C, and Phasitron®.

The Bird 8400 ST can be identified by the airway pressure display dial in the top right corner, rows of dials and light indicators on the top left, and panel for the supply hose and power source inputs on the bottom. Furthermore, this device follows a red and white color scheme and includes the model number adjacent to the alarm indicators on the front panel.

Technical Specifications

Electrical

  • 100 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 0.75 amps
    • Fuse Rating: 1.25SB
  • 120 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 0.58 amps
    • Fuse Rating: 1.00SB
  • 220 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 0.35 amps
    • Fuse Rating: 0.63SB
  • 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 0.32 amps
    • Fuse Rating: 0.63SB

Product Specifications

  • Pneumatic: 30-70 PSIG (2.10-4.90 kg/cm2)
  • Controls
    • Tidal volume: 50-2000 ml
    • Peak flow: 10-120 lpm
    • Breath Rate: 0-80 bpm
      • Backup Breath Rate: 0-80 bpm
  • Monitors
    • Tidal volume: 0-9999 ml
    • Minute volume: 0-130.0 L
    • Breath rate: 0-255 bpm
    • Hour meter: 0-99,999 hours
  • Alarms
    • High pressure limit: 1-140 cmH2O
    • Low peak pressure: 2-140 cmH2O
    • Low baseline pressure: -20 to +30 cmH2O
    • High breath rate: 3-150 bpm

Product Size

  • Dimensions
    • Ventilator only
      • H-9” (22.9cm)
      • W- 16” (40.6cm)
      • D- 13 ½” (34.3cm)
    • Ventilator & stand
      • H- 51 ½” (130.8cm)
      • W- 21” (53.3cm)
      • D- 24” (60.9cm)
    • Ventilator & compressor
      • H - 55” (138.7cm)
      • W- 16” (40.6cm)
      • D- 25 ½ “ (64.8cm)
  • Weight
    • Ventilator only: 32 lbs (14.5kg)
    • Ventilator & Stand: 80lbs (36.4kg)
    • Ventilator & compressor: 185 lbs (84.1kg)

Misc. Specifications

  • Alarm volume: 74 to 84 dB

Sources

Service Manual

Additional Information

Bird 8400ST Information

About Percussionaire®

Percussionaire Products

Dr. Forrest Bird’s Legacy

Ventilators and COVID-19