The term ‘iron lung’ may look and sound like an apparatus belonging to a sci-fi movie set. But this nearly-extinct contraption is a mechanical respirator that helped save countless lives during its time. One of those lives belongs to Missouri woman Mona Randolph, 82 who was afflicted by polio when she was 20. She told the Kansas City Star about a strange headache on her bus ride home from work, which turned out to be the first signs of polio. Soon after, she experienced an extreme aversion to sounds and light, no matter how subdued they were. Even the sound of whispers hurt her ears and the slightest light would bother her. On the third day, she recounted feeling breathless, prompting the doctors to put her on a mechanical respirator or the Iron Lung to help her with breathing. The year was 1956.

At 82, she still relies on the 700-pound machine, which she calls her “yellow submarine.” It’s a six-foot-long apparatus, which may be sinister looking and intimidating, resembling a steam-punk casket. Without her yellow submarine, Mona cannot breathe. And she happens to be using one of the last ones in the world. The Miracle Baby: 900 Gms Newborn was Saved After a Life-Saving Heart Closure Operation in Mumbai

What is An Iron Lung?

An iron lung is a medical apparatus invented in the 1920s to help people with compromised lung functions breathe. Polio survivors like Mona have difficulty breathing due to the weakness of muscles that aid respiration.

A 1960s image of a Rhode Island polio epidemic patient inside an iron lung. (Photo Credits: Public Domain Pictures, CDC)

Humans breathe by creating negative pressure in the lungs. The rib cage expands and the diaphragm contracts, decreasing the pressure inside the lungs. Air flows inwards from high pressure to low pressure. So when the pressure inside the lungs goes lower than the atmospheric pressure, the air flows into the lungs.

Since poliovirus affects the respiratory muscles of the body that aid in creating negative pressure in the lungs. That's why many polio survivors have compromised lung functions.   Little Girl Kissed By Pope Francis Miraculously Recovers From Brain Tumour

Here's Mona's interview with 41 Action News:

The iron lung is a horizontal, cylindrical drum, comprising a chamber where the body of the person is enclosed. The person’s head and neck are left outside. Inside the chamber, the pressure periodically decreases and increases. When the pressure decreasing, the lungs expand and draw in oxygen. When the pressure increases, the air is expelled from the person’s lungs.

As of today, there aren’t many iron lungs left in the world. Newer and more compact technologies like CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) have replaced the cumbersome apparatus. The one that Mona uses is among the last few remaining. Can Vaccines Eradicate AIDS Like Polio and Small Pox?

Living With An Iron Lung

Although Mona uses a CPAP device to help her breathe during the day, the octogenarian still prefers her yellow submarine. She hates the fact that the modern respirator forces air into her lungs, making her uncomfortable. Every night, Mona climbs into the iron lung with help from her husband, Mark. She has to be put in her pyjamas and loaded onto a sling that hoists her from her bed to the machine. Someone then covers her with blankets and turns the machine on.

“The ‘yellow submarine’ is my necessary trusted, mechanical friend. I approach it with relief in store at night and thankfully leave it with relief in the morning,” she said in her interview with Gizmodo. “

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2018 03:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).