RET 1264 - Principles of Mechanical Ventilation

College of Health Sciences

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Spring 2018 (540)

Requisites

Prerequisite RET 1024 with a minimum grade of C and
Pre- or Co-requisite RET 1485

Course Description

This course will include an introduction to mechanical ventilation and an overview of fundamental principles necessary in the management of critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Advanced ventilatory techniques used in the treatment of critically ill patients will also be covered.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will describe the clinical management of critically ill patients requiring respiratory support by:
    1. listing the physiologic effects of ventilatory support.
    2. calculating and explaining the clinical relevance of pulmonary compliance and resistance.
    3. explaining the relevance of inspiratory and expiratory pressures.
    4. identifying the indications, equipment, and procedures used to monitor cuff pressures.
    5. contrasting the types and uses of resuscitation equipment, including manual and mechanical ventilators
    6. explaining the process of endotracheal intubation, including the equipment used.
    7. Identifying and explaining the causes, clinical manifestations of, and steps for resolving auto PEEP.
    8. discussing the indications, contraindications, hazards, and equipment employed in the administration of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BIPAP).
    9. contrasting the indications, contraindications, hazards, procedures and equipment used in suctioning, including the proper use of the patient breathing circuits, regulator, canister, tubing, and open and closed suction catheters.
    10. identifying the indications, contraindications, hazards, and equipment used in airway humidification and aerosol therapy.
  2. The student will explain the steps used in assessing the readiness of a mechanically ventilated patient for liberation from the ventilator by:
    1. Listing the components of a complete patient assessment.
    2. critiquing weaning parameters, including maximum and minimum expiratory pressures.
    3. explaining spontaneous breathing trials (SBT).
    4. listing the process for extubation, including terminal withdrawal of life support.
    5. calculating and identify the normal limits of alveolar/arterial oxygen content gradients ( P(A-a)O2), deadspace ventilation percentage, (Vd/VT), Arterial oxygen tension versus Fractional concentration of inspired oxygen (P/F) ratios, and oxygenation indices.
  3. The student will compare the unique characteristics of the different types of artificial airways by:
    1. Identifying characteristics of an effective airway, including patency.
    2. contrasting the role and function of supraglottic airways, including King tubes, Combitubes, and laryngeal and pharyngeal mask airways (LMAs and PMAs).
    3. critiquing the use of nasopharyngeal and oral pharyngeal airways.
    4. contrasting the function, indications, contraindications, and hazards of endotracheal tubes, tracheostomy tubes, and laryngectomy tubes.
    5. describing the proper procedure for tracheostomy care and management, including the use of speaking valves.
    6. identifying the proper procedure for inserting and changing an artificial airway.
  4. The student will explain the processes for initiating and adjusting the settings on a mechanical ventilator by:
    1. contrasting continuous invasive mechanical ventilation, non invasive ventilation, high frequency ventilation, and high frequency oscillatory ventilation.
    2. explaining the function of and listing the correct settings for each alarm.
    3. describing the process for identifying and resolving patient-ventilator dysynchrony.
    4. critiquing ventilator graphics e.g. waveforms, scales.
    5. contrasting lung recruitment maneuvers.
    6. critiquing the common protocols used to prevent ventilator associated pneumonia.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will, with a minimum of 75% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

DBT 12/12/85 Effective Session 19861 Revised 1/90. 3 YR C&I Review 1993-94. DBT 10/17/95 Effective Session 19961. C&I 9/28/99, DBT 10/19/99, Effective 20001. 3 Year Review 2003. 3 Year Review 2007. Grade of “C” added effective 20081(0400). C&I Approval: 09/28/1999, BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Fall 2008 (400).
C&I Approval: 08/17/2017, BOT Approval: 09/19/2017, Effective Term: Spring 2018 (540)

Related Programs

  1. Respiratory Care (RESC-AS) (640) (Active)
  2. Respiratory Care: CRT Transitional (CRT-RESC-AS) (640) (Active)