Evaluation of capnography in nonintubated emergency department patients with respiratory distress.

Abstract

To evaluate the ability of noninvasive capnographic measurement of end-tidal CO2 tension (PetCO2) to predict arterial CO2 tension (PaCO2) in nonintubated ED patients with respiratory distress. A prospective, nonblind study was performed in a level I trauma center/community teaching hospital ED. Participants included all nonintubated adult patients with respiratory distress requiring measurement of arterial blood gases (ABGs); 29 patients were enrolled. PetCO2 was measured with a capnography monitor, using both baseline tidal volumes and forced expiratory volumes. The bias between PetCO2 values and simultaneous measurements of PaCO2 by ABG was assessed. PetCO2, measured with forced expiration, and PaCO2 agreed well, with bias (i.e., average difference) = 0.44 +/- 0.52 kPa (3.3 +/- 3.9 torr). PetCO2 measured with the tidal volume breath produced an unacceptably high bias of 0.82 +/- 0.70 kPa (6.1 +/- 5.2 torr). Levels of agreement between PaCO2 were similar for smokers and nonsmokers and for men and women. The arterial-end-tidal CO2 tension (Pa-etCO2) difference was not related to PaCO2. Pa-etCO2 correlated with age (r = 0.473; p = 0.01), and was significantly higher in patients with pulmonary disease (1.32 +/- 0.56 kPa; 9.9 +/- 4.2 torr) than it was in those without pulmonary disease (0.46 +/- 0.55 kPa; 3.5 +/- 4.1 torr; p < 0.001). Noninvasive PetCO2 monitoring may adequately predict PaCO2 in nonintubated ED patients with respiratory distress who are able to produce a forced expiration. PetCO2 is less accurate for PaCO2 with tidal volume breathing and in patients with pulmonary disease.