RRT MCQ Flashcards
7 cards from real RRT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 RRT MCQ flashcards as text
A patient is receiving pressure support ventilation of 12 cmH2O. The respiratory therapist notes double-triggering. Which adjustment is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Adjust expiratory trigger sensitivity (cycle-off criterion)
Double-triggering is often caused by the ventilator cycling off before the patient's neural inspiratory effort ends; adjusting the expiratory trigger (flow-cycle) sensitivity resolves this.
A patient with myasthenia gravis is being evaluated for extubation. Which parameter is MOST predictive of successful weaning?
Answer: FVC greater than 15 mL/kg
In neuromuscular disease, FVC >15–20 mL/kg is the primary threshold used to predict adequate ventilatory reserve for extubation.
Which inhaled bronchodilator mechanism is responsible for long-acting beta-2 agonist (LABA) duration of action?
Answer: Lipophilic side chains enabling receptor depot formation
LABAs like salmeterol have lipophilic side chains that anchor them in the cell membrane, creating a depot that allows prolonged receptor interaction lasting 12–24 hours.
A neonate is born at 28 weeks gestation with grunting, nasal flaring, and retractions. Chest X-ray shows diffuse ground-glass opacification. The primary treatment is:
Answer: Intratracheal surfactant administration
Infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) from surfactant deficiency is treated with exogenous surfactant replacement therapy administered intratracheally.
During high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV), the primary determinant of oxygenation is:
Answer: Mean airway pressure (MAP)
In HFOV, mean airway pressure determines lung recruitment and oxygenation, while amplitude (ΔP) determines CO2 elimination.
A patient with cystic fibrosis is admitted with acute exacerbation. Which airway clearance technique has the strongest evidence for routine use?
Answer: Airway oscillating devices (flutter/Acapella)
Oscillating positive expiratory pressure devices (flutter valve, Acapella) are well-supported for mucus mobilization in cystic fibrosis and offer patient-administered convenience.
Which finding on a capnography waveform is MOST consistent with bronchospasm?
Answer: Shark-fin shaped waveform with elevated plateau
Bronchospasm causes uneven alveolar emptying, producing a characteristic 'shark-fin' or upsloping phase III capnography waveform instead of the normal flat plateau.