Final answer:
Auto-PEEP is most likely to occur in patients with high respiratory rates and those intubated with obstructive lung disease, because these conditions promote air trapping due to inadequate exhalation time and airflow limitation, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The incidence of auto-PEEP (Positive End-Expiratory Pressure) is the greatest in clinical situations where the conditions promote air trapping in the lungs. This is largely observed in two specific scenarios: I. patients with high respiratory rates and II. intubated patients with obstructive lung disease. High respiratory rates can reduce exhalation time, leading to incomplete lung deflation before the next breath. Obstructive lung disease, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), causes airflow limitation and can make exhalation difficult, thereby also contributing to air trapping. Auto-PEEP is less likely in patients with low minute volumes unless other factors contribute, as low minute volumes typically refer to either slow respiratory rates or shallow breathing, neither of which inherently causes air trapping.
Therefore, the correct answer to the question - In which of the following clinical situations is the incidence of auto-PEEP the greatest? - is A) I and II, which are patients with high respiratory rates and intubated patients with obstructive lung disease.