The respiratory therapist enters the room of an intubated and mechanically ventilated patient to find the low pressure,low exhaled volume,and low Vᴇ alarms active.The ventilator circuit is connected to the patient's endotracheal tube.This situation could be caused by which of the following?
A) Improper flow rate and flow pattern.
B) Poorly responsive internal demand valve.
C) Migration of the ET tube into the upper airway.
D) The patient is continuing to actively inhale.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A combination of low pressure,low exhaled volume,and low Vᴇ alarms indicates a leak in the patient-ventilator system.This can be caused by migration of the ET tube into the upper airway.Because there is no longer a seal,gas does not travel into the lungs.Active inhalation may activate the low pressure alarm,but it would not activate the low volume and low Vᴇ alarms.On the contrary,there may be more volume than set on current ventilators.

The Respiratory Therapist Enters the Room of an Intubated and Mechanically