A patient is breathing eight times per minute. What is the appropriate intervention?

A patient is breathing eight times per minute. What is the appropriate intervention?

• A. Nasal cannula at 2 L/min
• B. Nonrebreather mask
• C. Positive pressure ventilation
• D. Spontaneous breathing with no support

Answer: (C)

When ventilation is inadequate, you must actively assist it rather than just supply oxygen. Eight breaths per minute is too slow and suggests hypoventilation, so the patient isn’t exchanging gases effectively. Oxygen delivery methods like a nasal cannula or a nonrebreather mask only augment oxygenation if the patient is also ventilating adequately on their own; they don’t increase the rate or depth of breaths. Spontaneous breathing with no support won’t address the slow rate either. Providing positive pressure ventilation delivers breaths to the lungs with each assisted breath, increasing both the rate and tidal volume to restore adequate minute ventilation and gas exchange.

When ventilation is inadequate, you must actively assist it rather than just supply oxygen. Eight breaths per minute is too slow and suggests hypoventilation, so the patient isn’t exchanging gases effectively. Oxygen delivery methods like a nasal cannula or a nonrebreather mask only augment oxygenation if the patient is also ventilating adequately on their own; they don’t increase the rate or depth of breaths. Spontaneous breathing with no support won’t address the slow rate either. Providing positive pressure ventilation delivers breaths to the lungs with each assisted breath, increasing both the rate and tidal volume to restore adequate minute ventilation and gas exchange.