A 48-year-old man is intubated on ICU. He is on a propofol and remifentanil infusion. The nurse notes that the ventilator is auto-triggering - deliver...

Question

A 48-year-old man is intubated on ICU. He is on a propofol and remifentanil infusion. The nurse notes that the ventilator is auto-triggering - delivering mandatory breaths without patient effort. The ventilator trigger is set to flow-trigger at 2 L/min. What is the most likely cause of auto-triggering?

Accepted Answer

Cardiac oscillations or circuit leak causing small flow changes that exceed the trigger threshold

Answer

Excessive patient respiratory drive

Answer

The trigger sensitivity is too low (too insensitive)

Answer

The PEEP is set too high

Answer

The tidal volume is too large

uk-fficm MCQ (SBA): Patient-Ventilator Dyssynchrony