A Female Patient Who Is 5'7" Tall and Weighs 68

Multiple Choice

A female patient who is 5'7" tall and weighs 68 kg is being mechanically ventilated with volume-controlled continuous mandatory ventilation (VC-CMV) ,set rate 12,patient trigger rate 25 breaths/min,tidal volume (Vᴛ) 500 mL,set flow rate 60 L/min,fractional inspired oxygen (FɪO₂) 40%,positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) 5 cm H₂O.The patient is currently in distress using accessory muscles of inspiration.The respiratory therapist performs a patient-ventilator system check.The flow-time waveform shows a failure of the expiratory flow to return to zero before the next breath is triggered.The most appropriate action for the respiratory therapist to take includes which of the following?

A) Sedate the patient.
B) Switch to pressure-controlled continuous mandatory ventilation (PC-CMV) .
C) Decrease set rate to 8 breaths/min.
D) Switch to volume-controlled intermittent mandatory ventilation (VC-IMV) .