• Alexandre Yazigi, Carine Zeeni, Freda Richa, Viviane Chalhoub, Ghassan Sleilaty, and Roger Noun.
• Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital, School of Medicine, Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.
• Middle East J Anaesthesiol. 2007 Oct 1;19(3):483-94.

Study Objectiveto assess the accuracy of nasal capnography for the monitoring of ventilation in extubated morbidly obese patients, following bariatric surgery.Designprospective descriptive study.SettingPost-anesthesia care unit.Patients25 consecutive morbidly obese patients admitted to the PACU after open bariatric surgery.InterventionPatients had a nasal cannula designed to administer oxygen (3 L/min) and to sample expired CO2 by a coaxial catheter.MeasurementsCapnographic waveform, end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) and respiratory rate (RRd) were displayed by a capnometer (Datex-Ohmeda). Arterial CO2 pressure (PaCO2) was measured by blood gas analysis. Respiratory rate was measured by visual inspection of chest breathing motions (RRm). Differences between PaCO2 and ETCO2 and between RRd and RRm were calculated for every simultaneous set of measurements.ResultsBias, precision, limits of agreement (bias +/- 2 precisions) between PetCO2 and PaCO2 were respectively as follows: 3.1, 1.4, 0.3 to 5.9 mmHg with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.6 and a P value of 0.001. As for RRd v/s RRm the values were: 2, 0.5, 1 to 3 breaths per minute and 0.8 with the same P value for the Pearson coefficient.ConclusionLimits of agreement between PaCO2 and ETCO2 pressure and between RRd and RRm are clinically acceptable. Nasal capnography is accurate for the monitoring of ventilation in extubated morbidly obese patients, following bariatric surgery.

25 keywords...

hide…