The high pressure alarm is sounding on a home ventilator. As your partner prepares the bag-valve mask, you quickly determine that no problem exists with the machine itself. As positive pressure ventilation is initiated, you note high resistance to the ventilations and have a difficult time adequately squeezing the bag. Your next action would be to:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The high pressure alarm could be indicating an obstruction in the patient's airway, causing the high resistance to ventilations. Checking the patient's breath sounds would help determine if this is the case and if there is a need for further intervention such as suctioning or repositioning of the patient before continuing with positive pressure ventilation. Simply reapplying the ventilator or continuing care without addressing the potential obstruction could lead to further complications.

The High Pressure Alarm Is Sounding on a Home Ventilator