What type of ventilation do RTs manage?

• A. Negative pressure ventilation only
• B. Spontaneous ventilation
• C. Invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation
• D. Extracorporeal ventilation

Answer: (C)

RTs manage ventilation that supports or replaces a patient’s breathing using machines, covering both invasive and non-invasive approaches. Invasive mechanical ventilation uses an artificial airway like an endotracheal tube or tracheostomy, delivering breaths and controlling pressures, volumes, and oxygen delivery. Non-invasive mechanical ventilation provides support without an airway, using interfaces such as masks or nasal pillows to assist breathing, often for patients with respiratory failure or during weaning attempts.

Other options aren’t typical daily tasks for most RTs: negative pressure ventilation is largely historical and not the common modern focus, while extracorporeal ventilation (ECMO) is a specialized therapy usually managed by dedicated critical care teams. Spontaneous ventilation refers to the patient’s own breathing and isn’t a mode of ventilatory support provided by a machine, though RTs monitor and wean patients as they breathe spontaneously. The best fit is the combination of invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, which encompasses the primary ways RTs provide ventilatory support.