Certified Clinical Transplant Nurse (CCTN) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The presence of water in the ventilator tubing can indeed lead to auto-triggering of the ventilator, which may result in the brain-dead donor appearing to overbreathe the ventilator. Auto-triggering occurs when the ventilator senses pressure changes or other irregularities in the airway that are not due to actual breaths initiated by the donor. This situation might be misinterpreted as the donor making independent respiratory efforts, leading to the assumption of overbreathing. It is crucial to ensure the ventilatory circuit is free from moisture to avoid these artifacts.

Other choices, while they describe clinical scenarios related to brain-dead donors, do not accurately reflect an indication of overbreathing the ventilator. A stable respiratory rate suggests that the ventilator settings are appropriate for the donor's needs, while rigid and non-compliant lungs generally indicate significant pulmonary issues that would not necessarily correlate with the concept of overbreathing. Likewise, hypotension is more indicative of hemodynamic instability and does not connect to the respiratory mechanics in the context of ventilatory support.