The nurse is caring for a patient on a mechanical ventilator due to respiratory failure. The ventilator is set at a FiO2 of 80% with orders to titrate down as tolerated. The nurse understands that the FiO2 goal is to be less than which percent to decrease the risk of complications?

Explanation

•Prolonged FiO2 of 50% or greater can lead to oxygen toxicity and atelectasis, thus the goal is to titrate the FiO2 to less than 50%.

•Ideally, the FiO2 should be titrated down to 21%, or room air, but risks for complications decrease greatly at an FiO2 of less than 50%.

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