The website Capnography has a number of outstanding resources on capnography.
The author of the above website, anesthesiologist Dr. Bhavani Shankar Kodali, has created a number of useful tools including Capnography During Sedation, Capnography During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and Capnography Outside the Operating Room. All three are very concise reviews.
See also Dr. Kodali’s excellent web pages Pitfalls of Time Capnography and Capnography Tips.
The Intensive Care Society in 2011 has published Standards for Capnography [Full Text PDF]. A summary from the National Guideline Clearing House is also available.
The major recommendations of the summary of the Standards from the Guideline Clearing House are:
- Capnography should be used for all critically ill patients during the procedures of tracheostomy or endotracheal intubation when performed in the intensive care unit (ICU).
- Capnography should be used for all critically ill patients during the procedures of tracheostomy or endotracheal intubation when performed in the intensive care unit (ICU).
- Capnography should be used in all critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation during inter-hospital or intra-hospital transfer.
- Rare situations in which capnography is misleading can be reduced by increasing staff familiarity with the equipment, and by the use of bronchoscopy to confirm tube placement where the tube may be displaced but remains in the respiratory tract.
