MSFinals-0093

You are asked to take over a patient halfway through a case to relieve the consultant anaesthetist for a comfort break. The patient, who is 65 years old, has an endotracheal tube (ETT) in situ and is maintained on sevoflurane and ventilated at a rate of 14 breaths per minute, with a tidal volume of 600. You notice that the carbon dioxide (CO2) trace is high (ET 6.9) and increasing quite rapidly. The maxillofacial surgeon remarks that the patient’s jaw is quite tight and asks for more muscle relaxant. You check the patient’s temperature and find that it is high at 39.6 °C.
Which one of the following is your priority?