COYou

Carbon dioxide (CO2) created by the body is a marker of ventilation, tissue perfusion, and metabolism. In critically ill patients, changes in the ventilatory and circulatory status of the patient will affect exhaled CO2 levels sooner than changes in the oxygen saturation that is routinely measured. Capnographs are devices that use CO2 from a patient’s expired breath to monitor the cardiopulmonary status during critical procedures, airway management, cardiac arrest care, and mechanical ventilation. These waveforms immediately sense changes in CO2 levels that may signal respiratory distress or cardiopulmonary collapse. Monitoring end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) has become the standard in ALS care and is recommended by both the American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council in the 2010 and 2015 Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care science.