Final answer:
The trigger variable for a ventilator-initiated breath is time, as the ventilator is set to deliver breaths at set intervals.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a ventilator initiates a breath rather than the patient, the trigger for this is usually time-based, meaning the ventilator has been set to deliver a breath at regular intervals. So, the correct answer to the question "If a ventilator, not the patient, initiates a breath, what is the trigger variable" is A) time.