Certified Transport Registered Nurse Certification Practice Exam

In Pressure Regulated Volume Control (PRVC), how does the ventilator maintain peak pressure?

1. It adjusts based on patient feedback

2. It is preset by the clinician and remains constant

3. It is maintained based on a test breath

4. It varies with each cycle

The correct answer is: It is maintained based on a test breath

In Pressure Regulated Volume Control (PRVC), the ventilator maintains peak pressure based on a test breath. This mode allows the ventilator to initially deliver a set tidal volume while monitoring the airflow and pressure delivered during the test breath. The ventilator assesses the patient’s mechanics to determine if the set parameters can be met without exceeding the preset peak inspiratory pressure. After this analysis, the ventilator adjusts its pressure output during subsequent breaths to ensure optimal volume delivery while adhering to the maximum pressure limit. This dynamic adaptation is crucial as it helps accommodate changes in lung compliance and resistance, ensuring effective ventilation without risking barotrauma. The other options do not accurately describe how PRVC operates. While patient feedback is a critical aspect of ventilator management in various modes, in PRVC, the adjustment is more about maintaining volume delivery within the allowed pressure limits rather than direct feedback responses. Preset pressures may remain constant in some modes, but PRVC relies on real-time assessments rather than a fixed setting. Although pressure can vary to some extent across cycles, this is not the primary mechanism by which peak pressure is regulated in PRVC. The true essence of the PRVC mode centers around initial test breaths that inform subsequent pressure adjustments to optimize patient-ventilator