Anaesthesia & Critical Care

20 learning units • 100 chapter sections • 200 explained questions. Prepare patients for anaesthesia, recognise perioperative emergencies and understand organ support, critical-care teamwork and recovery.

Original RAHBAR study material for the Year 5 learning pathway. Clinical cases support supervised undergraduate learning. Treatment choices, doses and procedures must follow current local protocols and the responsible clinical team. References & further reading ↓

MODULE 13 / 20

Respiratory Failure, Oxygen & Non-Invasive Support

Separate oxygenation failure from ventilatory failure and recognise when support is failing.

Answer all 10 questions, then submit to see your score and explanations. This is a self-study exercise; results are not saved.

Question 01. What does pulse oximetry primarily estimate? A. Oxygen saturationB. Arterial carbon dioxideC. Respiratory muscle strengthD. Blood pH

Question 02. Which investigation helps assess hypercapnic respiratory failure? A. Blood gas analysisB. An isolated urine dipstickC. A hearing testD. A bone density scan

Question 03. Can oxygen alone correct ventilatory exhaustion? A. YesB. Always if saturation risesC. NoD. Only if delivered by mask

Question 04. How should oxygen be managed after urgent initial support? A. Titrate to an appropriate target with reassessmentB. Always leave maximum oxygen indefinitelyC. Stop whenever the patient speaksD. Base it only on mask colour

Question 05. Which finding warrants concern despite an acceptable saturation? A. Improving comfort with stable observationsB. Normal conversation and recoveryC. Reduced cough after treatmentD. Increasing drowsiness and respiratory exhaustion

Question 06. Which condition may benefit from selected use of NIV? A. Unprotected airway with active vomitingB. Acute hypercapnic failure in an appropriate patientC. Uncontrolled complete airway obstructionD. Every mild cough

Question 07. Why is active vomiting a concern during NIV? A. It increases aspiration riskB. It guarantees adequate ventilationC. It improves mask sealD. It excludes respiratory failure

Question 08. What should be agreed when initiating non-invasive support? A. Only the device colourB. Monitoring, review and an escalation planC. No further observationsD. Automatic indefinite continuation

Question 09. What indicates possible failure of non-invasive support? A. Improving consciousnessB. Reduced respiratory effort with recoveryC. Worsening distress and gas exchangeD. Stable target saturation and comfort

Question 10. Why investigate the cause of respiratory failure? A. Every cause has identical treatmentB. Support alone may not resolve the underlying diseaseC. Imaging replaces resuscitationD. Oxygen provides a permanent cure

0 / 10 answered

References & Further Reading

Read the relevant guideline sections alongside these original clinical teaching cases. Local pathways, available services and individual patient factors determine care.

Reference review: 29 September 2026. Consult current local protocols for prescribing, procedures and escalation.