Module 13: Capnography (Part 02) Flashcards
Capnography comes from the Greek word _________________.
capno, which means smoke
This is a noninvasive, continuous measurement of exhaled carbon dioxide (C) concentration during respiration.
Capnography
Capnography is used to describe the technique in which carbon dioxide concentration is displayed as a graphic waveform called a _____________.
Capnogram
This is the technique in which carbon dioxide concentration is displayed as a numeric reading.
Capnometry
How is capnography applied?
Historically, capnography helped the anesthesiologist to identify ventilation situations that can lead to hypoxia if uncorrected. Currently, capnography also helps in the swift differential diagnosis of hypoxia before hypoxia leads to irreversible brain damage. Today, the utility of capnography has been extended outside of the operating room arena to emergency rooms, endoscopic suites, X-ray rooms, on-site emergency and Sauma fields.
They require capnography to be used to monitor ventilation during moderate to heavy sedation and recommends using capnography to judge the effectiveness of chest compression during CPR.
American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and Association of Anesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI)
Why is capnography important?
By monitoring CO. concentration, the clinician has an indication of subtle pathological disturbances of metabolic, cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
For example, when a patient’s ventilation and perfusion, as measured by blood pressure (BP) or cardiac output, remain constant, the level of etCO. would increase or decrease in parallel with the body metabolic temperature.
This represents the concentration of CO. (as partial pressure in a mixed gas) at the end of expiration of a normal tidal volume, or the end- tidal breath, and thus is a measure of ventilation.
End-tidal carbon dioxide (etCO.)
The normal range of etCO is what?
The normal range for etCO, is between 35 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) to 45 millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
Capnography monitors what?
Capnography monitors CO. removal during breathing and provides a breath- by-breath assessment of the patient’s ventilatory status.
This is a graphic tracing of the inhaled and exhaled partial pressure of CO. mmHg in each respiratory cycle plotted against time.
time- based waveform
The CO. waveform changes immediately when there is what?
When there is a change in breathing, and this is the first sign of a respiratory problem
This is the frequency of respiratory cycle and the volume, or amplitude of each respiratory movement, is referred to as the respiratory depth.
respiratory rate
During normal breathing, these are adjusted to regulate CO. levels in the blood.
respiration rate and depth are adjusted to regulate CO. levels in the blood.
Why is the respiration rate provided by capnography important?
because it is an airway respiration rate which is both quantified (counted) and qualified (verified by CO. cycle) measured at the airway, which can alert clinicians to changes in the patient’s ventilatory status.