Cuarto Histórico | Dräger

A space to travel through more than 135 years of innovation at the service of a clear purpose: to protect and save lives. Founded in 1889 in Lübeck (Germany), Dräger was born as a family business and today continues to promote solutions that make the most demanding environments safer.

Throughout this tour you will discover a selection of epoch-making technologies - from respiratory and protective equipment for emergencies and industry, to anesthesia, ventilation, incubators and monitoring for patient care - all created with one idea in mind: Technology for life.

In the 1930s, when industrial accidents and respiratory emergencies were frequent and resources were limited, resuscitation began to rely on engineering. This is an updated version of the 1907 Pulmotor, one of the most iconic devices of its time: a mechanical device designed to assist breathing in cases of asphyxiation, gas poisoning or drowning. It worked by means of automatic cycles of positive and negative pressure, blowing air into the lungs and then facilitating exhalation. Its technology made it possible to standardize resuscitation beyond manual maneuvers. Present in factories, mines and emergency services, the Pulmotor became a symbol of modern industrial protection. It represented a milestone in the history of respiratory support and in the commitment to saving lives through technical innovation.

For centuries, carbon monoxide was one of the most silent and lethal enemies of mining: invisible, odorless and capable of taking lives by preventing blood from transporting oxygen. To combat this invisible threat, miners descended into the darkness accompanied by a small guardian: the canary. Its extreme sensitivity to gas made it a living alarm; if the bird fell, it was an unmistakable signal to flee for survival. In 1937, a technological breakthrough changed the history of underground safety: Dräger developed its first gas detection tubes, capable of quickly identifying the presence of carbon monoxide in the air. Science replaced instinct. And with that, a new era in the protection of lives underground began.

In the context of the development of protective equipment for hazardous environments, Dräger introduced the 147 GR1 chemical protection suit in the second half of the 20th century, designed for teams responding to toxic and contaminating substances. This suit was part of the evolution of the first chemical protection systems developed for firefighters, industry and emergency services. Its design incorporated a gas protection mask, allowing the user to breathe safely while remaining completely isolated from the contaminated environment. This integration improved the airtightness of the suit and facilitated its use in prolonged interventions. We also display the 1988 Multiwarn I portable detector, one of the first devices capable of warning of the simultaneous presence of hazardous gases in the environment.

In 1952, in a Europe that was also rebuilding its hospitals, medicine entered a new era. The operating theatre was no longer just about technique: it was about organization, precision and ergonomics. Dräger responded to this change with Romulus, an anesthesia machine that integrated functionality and design into a single concept. Underneath its valves, it incorporated a cabinet with drawers and a support tray for the anesthetist: a simple but revolutionary solution for its time. It also integrated a blood pressure monitor and an innovative monitor capable of measuring pulse and respiratory rate. Romulus not only administered anesthesia: it symbolized the birth of the modern operating theatre workstation and also had a twin brother, Remus, for the American market.

The Pulmotor PT-60 was conceived as a ventilation device designed to intervene in critical situations, where every second counted. Robust, portable and ready for demanding environments, it allowed controlled mechanical ventilation to be applied at the scene of the incident. Its positive pressure system assisted the breathing of patients with acute respiratory failure, facilitating stabilization before hospital transfer. The PT-60 symbolized the advancement of modern emergency medicine: providing life support in any scenario. It was a decisive step in the history of emergency ventilation and in protecting life in the most critical moments.

In the early decades of the 20th century, when neonatology was just beginning, every breath a newborn took was a race against time. Dräger responded to this challenge with the Baby Pulmotor, a pioneering device for re r resuscitation in newborns and infants who were not breathing spontaneously.
It allowed controlled ventilation to be applied using intermittent positive pressure, blowing air or oxygen through a mask adapted to the baby. It then facilitated passive exhalation. The cycle was automatically regulated by pressure-sensitive valves. It was a robust and portable device, designed for delivery rooms and emergencies. Its purpose was to temporarily replace breathing until the baby could maintain it on its own. It represented hope, science and commitment in critical moments. It was one of the first steps towards the systematic protection of life from the first breath.

Since the 1950s, Dräger has been a pioneer in the creation of protection systems for newborns and premature babies. In 1960, it launched Incubator 6000, a revolutionary line of incubators equipped with a sensor that measured the baby's temperature and maintained the maximum possible oxygen concentration at 40%. These disruptive innovations complemented other significant advances developed by Dräger, such as Iris ports, which gave healthcare personnel quick access to the baby from any point, a bacterial filter that protected the baby from infections, and an integrated scale that allowed the baby's weight to be checked at any time. Everything was designed to maintain the temperature and protection ecosystem that aids the baby's development.

During the 1980s and 1990s, anesthesia technology underwent a profound evolution that transformed safety in the operating theatre. In this context, Dräger developed the Sulla family, which marked a new generation of more accurate and reliable anesthesia machines. Models such as the Sulla 880 incorporated controlled ventilation, vaporizers for anesthetic agents and monitoring of key respiratory parameters, allowing manual and mechanical ventilation to be alternated according to surgical needs. Its modular and robust design facilitated the anesthetist’s work in demanding clinical environments. This evolution culminated in the Sulla E in 1990, a high-performance device designed to ensure safe and stable ventilation during surgery. Its development also represented a milestone for Dräger in Spain, consolidating the local industrial capacity to manufacture medical technology to international standards and for export. Together, these systems helped lay the foundations for modern anesthesia stations.