A patient is being ventilated with pressure-controlled intermittent mandatory ventilation (PC-IMV)of 12 breaths/min.The apnea alarm time setting should be which of the following?
A) 4 seconds
B) 10 seconds
C) 15 seconds
D) 20 seconds

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Apnea alarms are usually set so the patient will not miss two consecutive machine breaths (apnea time > total cycle time [TCT] and < [TCT × 2]).The TCT would be 5 sec/cycle (60 sec/12 breaths/min = 5 sec).Considering that the alarm should be activated after two missed mandatory breaths,then that would be 10 sec or 2 × TCT.

A Patient Is Being Ventilated with Pressure-Controlled Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation