Anesthesia Knowledge Test 24 (AKT-24) Practice

Jet ventilation is a technique used to deliver mechanical ventilation, primarily during certain surgical procedures, especially those involving the airway. One of the notable potential complications associated with jet ventilation is the risk of pneumothorax.

Pneumothorax can occur due to the high pressures used in jet ventilation to deliver gas into the lungs through a small-diameter cannula. When high-pressure jets of gas are delivered rapidly, they can sometimes exceed the capacity of the respiratory system or the pleural space, leading to air leaking into the pleural cavity. This causes the lung on that side to collapse and can severely compromise respiratory function.

While hypoventilation, hypotension, and bradycardia might be concerns in various anesthesia contexts, they are not the direct or primary complications associated with the mechanics of jet ventilation itself. Instead, pneumothorax represents a more immediate and specific risk that is closely tied to the method of ventilation employed, making it the correct answer in the context of complications arising from jet ventilation.