A patient is receiving volume-controlled ventilation. The ...

[melly21297]

A patient is receiving volume-controlled ventilation. The respiratory therapist notes the pres-sure-time scalar on the ventilator screen, shown in the figure. The most appropriate action to take includes which of the following?
 
  a. Increase the rate setting.
  b. Increase the baseline setting.
  c. Decrease the volume setting.
  d. Increase the sensitivity setting.

Question 2

The inspiratory and expiratory flow sensors are reading a base flow of 5 L/min. The flow trigger is set to 2 L/min. The expiratory flow sensor must read what flow to trigger inspiration?
 
  a. 1 L/min
  b. 2 L/min
  c. 3 L/min
  d. 4 L/min

[kilada]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: D
What is being shown in the figure is a trigger pressure of 5 cm H2O below the baseline setting of 5 cm H2O. This is seen during the pressure trigger dropping down to 0 cm H2O during the trig-ger. In this situation the machine is not sensitive enough to the patient's effort. The patient is working too hard to trigger the ventilator breath. The respiratory therapist needs to increase the ventilator sensitivity control. Changing any of the other parameters will not decrease the work that the patient is doing to trigger inspiration.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
Base flow minus flow trigger setting is equal to the flow needed to be sensed at the expiratory flow sensor to trigger inspiration.

[melly21297]

Excellent

[raili21]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it