What can cause patient-ventilator dyssynchrony?

Inadequate sedation can lead to patient-ventilator dyssynchrony because patients who are not adequately sedated may exhibit increased levels of anxiety, discomfort, or distress. This can result in the patient attempting to override the ventilator settings, leading to ineffective breathing, asynchronous breathing patterns, or fighting against the ventilator. When the patient is not sedated appropriately, the ventilator may not be able to deliver breaths effectively in coordination with the patient's own attempts to breathe, causing a mismatch in timing and effort.

Hyperventilation, while it may alter ventilator parameters, does not directly cause dyssynchrony. Direct mechanical ventilation itself is a mode of delivering breaths and does not inherently create a synchronization issue if properly used. Time-triggered ventilation is designed to synchronize with the patient's breathing efforts, and is thus less likely to be a cause of dyssynchrony. Therefore, the lack of appropriate sedation is a key factor in contributing to patient discomfort and ineffective communication between the patient and the ventilator.