The description "a mode where each breath is pressure limited and the pressure-limit level is ad-justed automatically between breaths by using ventilatory mechanics to minimize the patient's work of breathing" pertains to which ventilator control type?

Question

a. Servo c. Adaptive
b. Optimal d. Auto-set-point

Answer 1

ANS: B
The optimal control type has one ventilator set-point—in this case, pressure limit—that automat-ically adjusts to optimize another set-point, which in this case is the patient's ventilatory mechan-ics, according to some model of system behavior, and the output can be maximized or minimized dynamically. With the servo-controlled type, the ventilator output automatically follows a vary-ing input from the patient. The adaptive control type automatically adjusts one set-point to achieve another set-point as the patient's condition changes, such as pressure-limit changing to achieve a preset tidal volume. The auto-set-point control type enables the selection of which op-erator-adjusted set-point to enforce at the moment.