The most important factors to consider when choosing a ventilator for home use include which of the following? 1. Sophistication 2. Reliability 3. Versatility 4. Cost

a. 1, 2, and 4 only
b. 2, 3, and 4 only
c. 1, 2, and 3 only
d. 1 and 2 only

ANS: B
The most important factors in choosing a ventilator are:
? Reliability. The ventilator must be mechanically dependable and trouble free for extended pe-riods without breaking down or requiring costly maintenance.
? Safety. The ventilator must be safe to operate in oxygen-enriched environments and have an adequate alarm system to warn of low ventilating pressure, high ventilating pressure, patient dis-connection, and mechanical failure.
? Versatility. The ventilator should be portable or adjustable for travel outside the home; it must have reliable internal and external battery sources and alarms.
? User friendliness. Ventilator controls should be easy to understand and manipulate. The circuit should be simple and easy to change.
? Ease of patient cycling. The ventilator should be easy to cycle in the volume-controlled contin-uous mandatory ventilation (VC-CMV) mode for patients with some spontaneous effort.