In a clinical setting, end-tidal CO2 measurements sampled from the nose and the pharynx were accurate and reliable in nonintubated patients with a nasopharynx airway in place during DSA.
Capnography has been clinically recommended for use in the EMS environment for monitoring an intubated patient. Moreover, etCO2 has been shown to provide clinical utility and benefit beyond the intubated patient or simply as a "tube checker."
Nearly half of all patients transported by prehospital providers had abnormal ETCO(2) measurements on initial ED presentation, suggesting an area for potential improvement. Trauma patients with abnormal initial ETCO(2) levels were more likely to die.
The quality of continuously recorded ECG and etCO(2) waveforms in critically ill patients is adequate for subsequent continuous variability monitoring in this pilot study. The clinical utility of continuous variability analysis merits further investigation.