Failed or Ineffective Trigger in a Patient with COPD

Recognizing failed triggering in COPD, where auto-PEEP adds a load the patient must overcome to trigger a breath.

Failed triggerM1M5

Fig 1.Note the positive deflections in expiratory flow that barely cross the baseline after the 1st and 3rd breaths. These are signs of patient inspiratory effort that are not strong enough to meet the trigger sensitivity. It is reasonable to suspect some degree of auto-PEEP as a contributor here since we observe slow expiratory flows in this patient with suspected COPD.

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Comprehensive · M5 — False and failed triggers

Comprehensive · M4 — Auto-PEEP and set PEEP

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