Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1989
Comparative StudyComparison of a sidestream and mainstream capnometer in infants.
This study was designed to compare capnograms obtained from a sidestream and mainstream capnometer during rapid mechanical ventilation in infants. Ten infants were studied during elective anesthesia and surgery. ⋯ The recordings obtained with the sidestream machine were grossly distorted, with flattening of the ascending limb (slope 37.3 vs. 153.3 torr/sec, sidestream vs. mainstream, p less than .001) and absence of the alveolar plateau. The mainstream analyzer gives a more accurate representation of the expired CO2 waveform in small children at rapid respiratory rates.
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Critical care medicine · Jun 1989
Discrepancies between transcutaneous and end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring in the critically ill neonate with respiratory distress syndrome.
PaCO2, transcutaneous PCO2 (PtcCO2), and end-tidal PCO2 (PetCO2) measurements were studied in 12 critically ill neonates. PtcCO2 was measured using a combination CO2/O2 sensor during the routine care of these patients. End-tidal sidestream sampling was performed during blood gas measurement as dictated by the patient's clinical condition. ⋯ The presence or absence of a metabolic acidosis did not have a significant effect on the slopes obtained. PtcCO2 monitoring using combined sensors is a useful and practical means of monitoring in the neonatal ICU, although acidosis affects the ability to correlate transcutaneous and arterial values. End-tidal sidestream measurements are not as clinically useful because they vary due to different ventilation/perfusion relationships in the sick neonate.