Vented Vince — Mechanical Ventilation
High-pressure alarm = obstruction; low = disconnection
Vince cannot speak, so his ventilator does the talking. Learn its two alarms and you can hear exactly what is wrong with him from the doorway.
Vince is intubated and every alarm tells a story. High-pressure alarms mean something is blocking flow — secretions, kinks, biting, pneumothorax. Low-pressure alarms mean flow is escaping — disconnection or a cuff leak. Assess the client before silencing anything.
Read Vented Vince's full story →The story arc
The setup
Respiratory failure lands Vince on the ventilator with an oral endotracheal tube and continuous sedation.
The turn
The high-pressure alarm sounds; he is coughing, secretions rattle, and his SpO₂ dips.
The crisis
Later the low-pressure alarm sounds and the room is quiet — the circuit has come apart at the wye.
The save
Head of bed 30–45 degrees, daily sedation interruption with a spontaneous breathing trial, oral care and DVT and ulcer prophylaxis.
NCLEX study section — Mechanical Ventilation
What this chapter is testing: the recognition cues, the numbers and the priority action.
Study section: Respiratory
Take this chapter into practice questions on the same topic.