You are called by a nursing home to help set up O₂ for a patient, delivered through a jet nebulizer. Unfortunately, all that is available is an old uncompensated Thorpe tube flowmeter. When set to 8 L/min, the nebulizer creates an additional 30 psig of downstream pressure. Approximately what flow of O₂will the patient now receive?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When using an uncompensated Thorpe tube flowmeter, the flow reading is accurate only when there is no downstream pressure. If there is additional downstream pressure, as in this case with the nebulizer creating an additional 30 psig, the actual flow delivered to the patient will be higher than the flowmeter setting. The increase in pressure decreases the resistance to flow, allowing more gas to flow through. Therefore, setting the flowmeter to 8 L/min under these conditions will result in a higher flow rate to the patient, in this case, approximately 12 L/min.

You Are Called by a Nursing Home to Help Set