Mechanical ventilation

Question 1

What does mechanical ventilation do

Answer 1

• They can control the rate, volume and pressure of breathes to ensure adequate oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal

Question 2

What is invasive mechanical ventilation

Answer 2

• Respiratory support for patients that requires an artificial airway
• Placing patient on a ventilator to control their breathing
• Done with either a endotracheal tube or a tracheostomy

Question 3

Indications of invasive mechanical ventilation

Answer 3

• When other forms of non-invasive ventilation have failed to improve either oxygenation or ventilation

Basic physiologic impairments
1. Apnoea
2. Hemodynamic instability/collapse
3. Acute ventilatory failure
4. Impending ventilatory failure
5. Refractory hypoxemic respiratory failure
6. Respiratory muscle fatigue
7. Obstruction

Question 4

Negative pressure

Answer 4

Generated on the outside of the chest and transmitted to the interior to expand the lungs and allow air to flow in

Question 5

Positive pressure

Answer 5

• Delivers pressure into the patients lungs during inspiration
• The air coming in causes the lungs to expand

Question 6

Complications of invasive mechanical ventilation

Answer 6

• Heamodynamic compromise
• Barotrauma - damage to lungs from alveoli trauma
• Ventilator associated pneumonia

Question 7

Non invasive mechanical ventilation

Answer 7

• Way of helping a person breath by pushing air into the lungs via a tight-fitting mask

Question 8

FiO2

Answer 8

• This indicates the fraction of inspired oxygen available through the ventilator
• How much O2 the patient is receiving

Question 9

VTe (tidal volume)

Answer 9

• The volume of each breath
• Generally we would want 5 to 8ml/kg of ideal body weight
• This is related to a patients C02 levels, in that the greater the tidal volume, the more CO2 a patient can “blow off”

Question 9

PEEP

Answer 9

• Positive end-expiratory pressure
• Essentially how much pressure remains in the lungs at the end of expiration

Question 10

MVe

Answer 10

• Minute volume
• This value represents the sum of the patients respiratory rate and their tidal volume
• The volume of ventilation that occurs per minute

Question 11

PIP

Answer 11

• Peak inspiratory pressure
• Value that represents the highest point of pressure present during a cycle of ventilation