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Description

To incorporate capnography into the care of patients receiving or recovering from continuous opioid infusions or sedation or at the discretion of RN or RT for patients with respiratory compromise.

Publication Date

2013

Keywords

capnography, early detection, patient care

Disciplines

Other Nursing

Comments

What is Capnography?

  • End-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) is the measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the airway at the end of each breath.
  • Capnography provides a numeric reading (amount) of the EtCO2 and a graphic display (waveform) of CO2 through out the respiratory cycle. This is a noninvasive measurement of quality of ventilation.
  • Breath by breath assessment of ventilation status.
  • Capnography is already a standard of care for anesthesia and mechanically ventilated patients.

Why use capnography?

  • Pulse oximetry is a direct monitor to reflect the status of oxygenation of the patient.
  • Capnography is a indirect monitor and helps in the differential diagnosis of hypoxia to enable interventions.
  • Capnography provides information about CO2 production, pulmonary perfusion, alveolar ventilation, respiratory patterns, and elimination of CO2.
  • Capnography has been show to be effective in the early detection of adverse respiratory events.
  • Capnography and pulse oximetry together could have helped in the prevention of avoidable sedation and opioid mishaps.
  • Capnography has also been shown to facilitate better detection of potentially life-threatening problems that clinical judgment alone.

Capnography Monitoring: A New Tool for SCH

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