If the peak airway pressure is increasing while static airway pressure remains stable during mechanical ventilation, what can explain this?

• A. Excess water in the ventilator circuit
• B. Leak in the ventilator circuit
• C. Decreasing pulmonary compliance
• D. Deflated endotracheal tube cuff

Answer: (A)

When peak airway pressure increases while static airway pressure remains stable during mechanical ventilation, one primary explanation for this phenomenon is decreasing pulmonary compliance.

Decreasing pulmonary compliance indicates that the lungs have become stiffer, meaning that more pressure is required to deliver the same volume of air. This stiffer lung condition can be due to factors such as pulmonary edema, pneumonia, or restrictive lung disease. As a result, even though the static airway pressure—which reflects the pressure in the system when there is no airflow—remains the same, the peak pressure, which occurs during inspiration when airflow is happening, will increase because more force is needed to overcome the reduced compliance of the lung tissues.

Understanding this relationship helps clinicians address ventilatory settings and ensure they are managing the patient’s lung mechanics effectively.