Troubleshooting the Ventilator + Alarms

Now that we've gone over the Modes & Settings, let's start talking about some of the most common alarms, what they mean, and what we could do about them as registered nurses. There is one alarm in particular, Peak Pressure (High Airway Pressures), that has the potential to lead to an airway emergency. I outline a systematic approach to assess the situation; how to escalate, and how to overcome. The key messages are: - If you're ever unsure: Ask - If the ventilator continues to peak pressuring, the patient is not ventilating during that time - If in doubt, call for back up, and hand bag the patient using the Bag Valve Mask attached to Oxygen 15L/min.