The capnography waveform depicts the concentration of CO2 in the breath and has a generally uniform square-like morphology with consistent frequency. In this video, we look at what normal respiratory rates and waveforms look like for healthy patients. US-PM-2200560...
For years, capnography has been used in the hospital setting to monitor airway and ventilation in the operating room as well as in the critical care environment. Unfortunately, for the most part its use has been limited to that setting by many issues, including overall awareness of the importance of capnography in pre-hospital settings,...
Capnography can be an addition to a paramedic’s toolkit. A recent survey taken of EMS1 readers indicated that upwards of 95 percent agree that capnography is easy to understand and an important monitoring tool for patients in cardiac arrest, experiencing respiratory distress, or ill with sepsis among other things.
Capnography is the...
By Sean Hulsman
Reported cases of anaphylaxis are on the rise according to the CDC. This is particularly worrisome for EMS because pediatric patients suffering anaphylaxis often present differently than adults and pose special problems for prehospital clinicians. Read Pediatric Anaphylaxis: How Capnography can help assessment and...
Opioid-induced Respiratory Depression (OIRD), usually caused by opioid use or post-operative complications from anesthesia, occurs when the opioids desensitize the brain stem to rises in CO2, which can rapidly lead to full-blown respiratory failure. Given the growing number of 911 calls due to opioid abuse and subsequent respiratory...