An elderly patient with emphysema was admitted to the emergency room after he wa

Question

An elderly patient with emphysema was admitted to the emergency room after he was found comatose and cyanotic. He was placed on a ventilator with the following settings: ventilator rate = 10 strokes per minute; volume = 800 ml per stroke; positive end expiratory pressure = 5 cm H2O; volume of ventilator tubing going to patient = 300 ml. The minute volume (VE) (milliliters of air per minute) provided to the patient's lungs is

a. 5000 ml/min

b. Cannot be calculated from these data

c. 8000 ml/min

d. 800 ml/min

Explanation / Answer

In simple way the minute volume is amount of respiration done by subject per minute. It is product of tidal volume × rate of respiration per minute. Tidal volume is differences of volume in inhalation and exhalation.

The question above lacks the information of exhalated volume. Ventilation rate is provided with number of stroke but volume expelled is not given. So with this given data it is not possible to calculate accurate value of minute volume.

Incase if we take volume per stroke as tidal volume and rate of respiration as stroke per minute, then minute volume would be 8000ml/min.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse A
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.