If the patient is being ventilated via a mechanical ventilator via synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation with partial ventilatory support, what would probably happen to PaCO₂ if the patient suddenly had no spontaneous breathing?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) with partial ventilatory support, if the patient stops spontaneous breathing, the mechanical ventilator will provide less total ventilation since it's designed to supplement the patient's own efforts. This would likely lead to an accumulation of CO2 in the blood, causing an increase in PaCO2.

If the Patient Is Being Ventilated Via a Mechanical Ventilator