Capnography, the measurement and reporting of carbon dioxide in the human breathing circuit, was first studied in the Netherlands in 1971. Thirty years later, end-tidal capnography was proposed as a useful tool in prehospital care. Capnography monitor is now an essential tool for the treatment and safety of the most critical emergency patients. The technology has become robust enough to survive brutal treatments provided by EMS providers, and the price of single-use components that touch patients has fallen. Now is an ideal time to implement and expand the use of portable capnography monitor to improve patient care and improve decision-making among first responders.
Vital signs are those physiological markers that measure the baseline status and relative normality of important bodily functions. Vital signs are the most important over time. As such, capnography is an important vital sign in a variety of critical emergencies.
Monitoring carbon dioxide can provide early warning signs of hypoventilation, apnea, airway obstruction, and metabolic deficits before compensatory changes in heart rate or blood pressure occur. Portable capnography is recommended for patients with symptoms of shock, seizures, trauma, head injury, hypothermia, hyperthermia, diabetes, and pulmonary embolism.
Capnography monitor and pulse oximeters are monitors used together that will help EMS providers assess the status and treatment outcomes of patients with serious heart and lung problems. A patient with a sudden drop in cardiac output will show a weakened CO2 waveform and a drop in ETCO2 value, which can occur regardless of changes in respiratory rate. When used on patients requiring continuous airway management, capnography can display changes in ventilation or endotracheal tube position. This is a critical function in EMS, as the endotracheal tube may dislodge as the patient moves through a building, in a moving ambulance, or as a patient is loaded into the emergency room. Kingst provides high-quality portable etco2 monitor for you.
Measurement and reporting of CO2 and visualization of waveforms provide critical patient care information and guide ongoing treatment for a variety of emergency situations commonly found in EMS environments. Capnography in a prehospital setting will enhance the ability of ED providers to understand changes over time. With an increasing number of indications, capnography is an important vital sign in a variety of critical emergencies and an element of high-quality care in all EMS systems.