Certified Transport Registered Nurse Certification Practice Exam

What is required for effective use of Pressure Support Ventilation (PSV)?

1. The patient must be fully sedated

2. The patient must have some ability to initiate breaths

3. The patient must be on a high dose of pain medication

4. The patient must not have any respiratory drive

The correct answer is: The patient must have some ability to initiate breaths

For effective use of Pressure Support Ventilation (PSV), it is essential that the patient has some ability to initiate breaths. PSV is a mode of mechanical ventilation that assists patients who are capable of initiating spontaneous breaths; it works by providing a preset level of pressure during each inhalation initiated by the patient. This support helps reduce the work of breathing while allowing the patient to retain some control over their respiratory pattern. When patients can initiate their own breaths, they can take deeper breaths and better match their ventilation needs, making them more comfortable and allowing for more effective gas exchange. This spontaneous effort also plays a critical role in weaning patients off mechanical ventilation, as it engages their respiratory muscles and promotes respiratory drive. In contrast, using PSV on patients who are fully sedated or lacking respiratory drive would not fulfill the mode's purpose, as these patients would not be able to trigger the ventilator's assist capabilities effectively.