A ventilator is set to deliver a 600 mL tidal volume. The flow rate is set at 40 L/min and the fre-quency is set at 10 breaths/min. If the flow rate is doubled and the patient is not assisting, which of the following will occur?
a. The frequency will decrease.
b. The tidal volume will increase.
c. The expiratory time will increase.
d. The inspiratory time will increase.
ANS: C
If you manipulate the formula: Flow = Volume change/Time to Volume/Flow = Time, and use the numbers from this example, it can be shown that by increasing the flow rate the inspiratory time will decrease. Since the frequency remains constant, then the inspiratory time will decrease, thereby increasing expiratory time.
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