Final answer:
The mode of support known as VC continuous mandatory ventilation provides all of the patient's minute ventilation as mandatory volume-controlled breaths.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mode of support that provides all of the patient's minute ventilation (VE) as mandatory volume-controlled (VC) breaths is a. VC continuous mandatory ventilation (VC-CMV). In VC-CMV, the ventilator completely controls the patient's breathing by delivering a set tidal volume (TV) at a set frequency. This mode ensures that the patient receives a consistent and precise amount of ventilation per minute, which is especially critical when the patient's spontaneous breathing is inadequate.
Vital capacity (VC) is the sum of expiratory reserve volume (ERV), tidal volume (TV), and inspiratory reserve volume (IRV). In VC-CMV, the ventilator’s settings are adjusted to meet the total minute ventilation requirements based on these lung volumes. This contrasts with b. VC intermittent mandatory ventilation, where the patient can initiate breaths in between the mandatory ones provided by the machine.