Manifestations | |
- Empty reservoir bag (in fresh-gas-decoupled circle breathing system)
|
- Non-moving ventilator bellows or piston
|
Potential causes | |
|
|
- When switching from mechanical to spontaneous ventilation
|
- Threshold pressure alarm setting too high
|
- Pressure sensor line disconnect or obstruction
|
- Reduction or loss of gas flow into breathing system
|
- Leak within anesthesia machine downstream of flowmeters
|
- Leak within vaporizer (only happens when vaporizer is dialed on; often filler cap left open)
|
- Detached or obstructed fresh gas hose
|
- Fresh gas misdirected to auxiliary common gas outlet
|
- Breathing system leak or disconnection
|
- At airway (cuff or mask leak)
|
|
- Tubing connections loose or disconnected
|
- CO2 absorbent canister cracked or not sealed properly
|
- Gas analyzer sample line loose or disconnected
|
- Leaking ventilator relief valve
|
|
- Negative pressure applied to breathing system (also refer to table on negative airway pressure alarm)
|
|
- Intentional tracheal/bronchial suctioning (eg, fiberoptic)
|
- Malfunctioning scavenger system via ventilator relief valve
|
- Ventilator turned off or cycling failure malfunction
|
Suggested responses | - Determine whether patient ventilation is occurring (examine chest, auscultate lungs, check CO2 waveform and respiratory monitors, check SpO2)
|
- Look for breathing circuit disconnection
|
- Fill breathing circuit with high fresh gas flows
|
- Disconnect patient and quickly pressure test breathing system to determine if leak is in the workstation or at the airway
|
- Verify that ventilator is operating
|
- Switch to manual ventilation
|
- If necessary, ventilate with manual resuscitation device connected to O2
|