Exploring intermittent transcutaneous CO2 monitoring.

Rauch, D A; Ewig, J; Benoit, P E; Clark, E; Bijur, P · Crit Care Med · 1999

prospective_cohort · Level II

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Abstract

To explore the accuracy of a continuous transcutaneous CO2 (T(CCO2)) monitor, used in an intermittent rather than a continuous fashion, to obtain quick (<5 mins) CO2 readings. Prospective study. An urban pediatric intensive care unit in a university teaching hospital. A convenience sample of pediatric patients with indwelling arterial catheters. Transcutaneous monitoring was done simultaneous with arterial blood gas monitoring. There were 49 simultaneous-readings on 19 patients, age 5 days to 16 years, with 13 different diagnoses. The T(CCO2) was related to the PCO2 by a Pearson product coefficient of 0.79 (p<.0005), with a mean difference of 1.94 (T(CCO2)>P(CO2) and 95% confidence interval of -0.12 to 4.07. The scatterplot produces a regression line characterized by the following equation: PCO2 = (T(CCO2)x1.05)-4.08. Further study to evaluate intermittent TCCO2 as a practical clinical variable is warranted. This study should encourage refinement of the technology to be more accurate for this use.

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