A patient with a closed head injury has had a cuffed tracheo…

A patient with a closed head injury has had a cuffed tracheostomy tube in place for several weeks. The physician wishes to decannulate the patient but maintain the patency of the stoma for secretion removal. Which of the following devices would facilitate this request?

The high pressure alarm sounds frequently on the ventilator…

The high pressure alarm sounds frequently on the ventilator of a 58-year-old patient who is being mechanically ventilated following a major orthopedic surgery. The mandatory rate on the ventilator is 12/min and auscultation reveals bilateral vesicular breath sounds. Current vital signs include: HR 130/min, RR 36/min, blood pressure 125/88 mmHg, Temperature 37.1 degrees Celsius, and SpO2 96%. The patient appears quite agitated. The patient’s respiratory pattern is most likely the result of: