NUR 2016 - MECHANICAL VENTILATION PART 2 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE 2026

NUR 2016 - MECHANICAL VENTILATION PART 2 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED SOLUTIONS LATEST UPDATE 2026 What is the rate on a ventilator? - Answers A setting on the ventilator of how many breaths per minute to give the patient. What is a normal rate on a ventilator? - Answers 12-20 but can be higher or lower depending on what is going on with the patient. True or false: The rate shows you active feedback on the ventilator monitor. - Answers True True or false: A patient cannot breath under the set rate on a ventilator. - Answers True (but they can breath over) What is the A or C stand for in the upper right hand corner of the ventilator screen? - Answers A stands for assisting, the patient initiated their own breath and the vent is just helping. C stands for controlled, the vent is doing all of the work. On the ventilator screen, the bottom shows the ____. - Answers Settings. On the ventilator screen, the top shows the....? - Answers Real time patient data What is tidal volume on a ventilator? - Answers A setting of how much air will go into the patient with each breath. (Ex. 400 mL of air with every breath.) What is FiO2 on a ventilator? - Answers A setting of how much oxygen concentration the patient is receiving. True or false: The FiO2 shows you active feedback on the ventilator monitor. - Answers False What is FiO2 typically set to on a ventilator? - Answers No less than 35% but up to 100% What does PEEP stand for? - Answers positive end expiratory pressure What is positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP)? - Answers The amount of positive pressure that stays in the lungs after expiration. True or false: The positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) shows you active feedback on the monitor. - Answers False Why is positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) important? - Answers It recruits more alveoli to open up and to stay open. Positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) is a setting on the ventilator that should never be set lower than ___ cm h2o. - Answers 5. How do you know that the positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) setting needs to be adjusted? - Answers If the PaO2 is low, we're turning up the oxygen and nothing is happening, we probably need to turn up the peep to open up more alveoli. What occurs with higher positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP)? - Answers The higher the peep, the more damage you are causing to the lungs. (The higher the peep, the sicker the pt) What is peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) on a ventilator? - Answers How hard the ventilator had to push to get the set volume (tidal volume) of air in. It tells us how compliant the lungs are. True or false: The peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) shows you active feedback on the monitor. - Answers True What makes lung less compliant? - Answers Injuries and age The less compliant the lungs, the ___ the peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) - Answers Higher What are the complications of higher peak inspiratory pressure (PIP)? - Answers Barotrauma and volutrauma What is barotrauma in mechanical ventilation? - Answers Too much pressure in the lungs which can cause the alveoli to rupture What is volutrauma in mechanical ventilation? - Answers Too much volume in the lungs which can cause the alveoli to stretch out too much so they are no longer compliant. What is a normal PIP range? - Answers 20-30 cm H20 (the higher the number the less compliant the lungs, the harder the vent has to push the tidal volume in) What PIP range has been shown to increase lung injury? - Answers Upper 30s-40s What are the modes on a ventilator? - Answers Volume controlled, pressure controlled, time-cycled, pressure support/synchronized intermittent mechanical ventilation What is the volume controlled mode on a ventilator? - Answers A set rate and volume. (Works well for most pts but not ideal for super sick pts) How do you know you need to switch the ventilator mode from volume controlled to pressure controlled? - Answers If you keep getting high PIPs. What is the pressure controlled mode on a ventilator? - Answers Removes the set volume but you still have a set rate and set PIP. Will only allow however much volume the lungs can tolerate. What is minute ventilation? - Answers The volume of gas inhaled and exhaled in a minute. Respiratory rate x tidal volume What is the normal range for minute ventilation? - Answers 4-8 L/min What does it mean if the patient has a minute ventilation of over 8 L/min? - Answers You are hyperventilating the patient What does it mean if the patient has a minute ventilation of less than 4 L/min? - Answers You are hypoventilating the patient If your patient has a respiratory rate of 18 and a tidal volume of 450, what is their minute ventilation? What is your assessment of their minute ventilation? - Answers 8,100 = 8.1 L/min. This means we are hyperventilating the patient. If your patient has a respiratory rate of 18 and a tidal volume of 240, what is their minute ventilation? What is your assessment of their minute ventilation? - Answers 4,320 = 4.32 L/min. This is a good minute ventilation. If your patient has a rate of 18 and a tidal volume of 180, what is their minute ventilation? What is your assessment of their minute ventilation? - Answers 3,240 = 3.24 L/min. We are hypoventilating the patient. If your patient is on a pressure control mode on the ventilator and their minute ventilation is too low, what setting needs to be changed on the vent? - Answers The rate You have a patient on the volume controlled ventilator mode. You checked on him in the morning and his PIP was 27 cm H2O. You come back and check on him in the afternoon and his PIP shows 38 cm H2O. What is your assessment of the data? - Answers The lungs are likely becoming more irritated and injured (barotrauma and volutrauma) so the ventilator is working harder against the lungs to push the volume in. You have a patient on the volume controlled ventilator mode. You checked on him in the morning and his PIP was 29 cm H2O. You come back and check on him in the afternoon and his PIP shows 35 cm H2O. After assessing your patient, what is your next step? - Answers Call the dr and ask to switch over to pressure controlled mode on the vent What is time-cycled ventilation? - Answers the ventilator provides breath for a PRESET time; the pressure it takes to deliver the breath and the volume of air varies