Dislocation rates of postoperative airway exchange catheters - a prospective case series of 200 patients.

BACKGROUND: The dislocation rate of oral versus nasal airway exchange catheters (AEC) in the postoperative care unit (PACU) are unknown. Our aim was to establish dislocation rates and to assess the usefulness of waveform capnography to detect dislocation. METHODS: In this non-randomized, prospective observational trial at the University Hospital Bern, Switzerland, we included 200 patients admitted to PACU after extubation via AEC, having provided written informed consent. The study was approved by the local ethical committee. AEC position was assessed by nasal fiberoptic endoscopy at beginning of PACU stay and before removal of the AEC. Capnography was continuously recorded via the AEC. Additional measurements included retching and coughing of the patient, and re-intubation, if necessary. RESULTS: Data from 182 patients could be evaluated regarding dislocation. Overall dislocation rate was not different between oral and nasal catheters (7.2% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.16). Retching was more often noted in oral catheters (26% vs. 8%, p < 0.01). Waveform capnography was unreliable in predicting dislocation (negative predictive value 17%). Re-intubation was successful in all five of the nine re-intubations where an AEC was still in situ. In four patients, the AEC was already removed when re-intubation became necessary, and re-intubation failed once, with a front of neck access as a rescue maneuver. CONCLUSIONS: We found no difference in dislocation rate between nasal and oral position of an airway exchange catheter. However, nasal catheters seemed to be tolerated better. In the future, catheters like the staged extubation catheter may further increase tolerance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered in a clinical study registry ( ISRCTN 96726807 ) on 10/06/2010.

Capnography sensor use is associated with reduction of adverse outcomes during gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures with sedation administration.

BACKGROUND: Evidence to date suggests that capnography monitoring during gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures (GEP) reduces the incidence of hypoxemia, but the association of capnography monitoring with the incidence of other adverse outcomes surrounding these procedures has not been well studied. Our aims were to estimate the incidence of pharmacological rescue events and death at discharge from an inpatient or outpatient hospitalization where GEP was performed with sedation, and to determine if capnography monitoring was associated with reduced incidence of these adverse outcomes. METHODS: This retrospective Premier Database analysis included medical inpatients and all outpatients undergoing GEP with sedation. Patients were grouped as follows: (1) pulse oximetry (SpO2) only, (2) capnography only, (3) SpO2 with capnography, and (4) neither SpO2 nor capnography. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity-score matching were used to compare patients with capnography sensor use to patients with only SpO2 sensor use. Outcome measures included the incidence of pharmacological rescue events, as defined by administration of naloxone and/or flumazenil, and death. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty eight thousand and two hundred sixty two inpatients and 3,807,151 outpatients were analyzed. For inpatients, capnography monitoring was associated with a 47% estimated reduction in the odds of death at discharge (OR: 0.53 [95% CI: 0.40-0.70]; P < 0.0001) and a non-significant 10% estimated reduction in the odds of pharmacological rescue event at discharge (0.91 [0.65-1.3]; P = 0.5661). For outpatients, capnography monitoring was associated with a 61% estimated reduction in the odds of pharmacological rescue event at discharge (0.39 [0.29, 0.52]; P < 0.0001) and a non-significant 82% estimated reduction in the odds of death at discharge (0.18 [0.02, 1.99]; P = 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: In hospital medical inpatients and all outpatients undergoing GEP performed with sedation, capnography monitoring was associated with a reduced likelihood of pharmacological rescue events in outpatients and death in inpatients when assessed at discharge. Despite the limitations of the retrospective data analysis methodology, the use of capnography during these procedures is recommended.

Continuous Pulse Oximetry and Capnography Monitoring for Postoperative Respiratory Depression and Adverse Events: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Death and anoxic brain injury from unrecognized postoperative respiratory depression (PORD) is a serious concern for patient safety. The American Patient Safety Foundation has called for continuous electronic monitoring for all patients receiving opioids in the postoperative period. These recommendations are based largely on consensus opinion with currently limited evidence. The objective of this study is to review the current state of knowledge on the effectiveness of continuous pulse oximetry (CPOX) versus routine nursing care and the effectiveness of continuous capnography monitoring with or without pulse oximetry for detecting PORD and preventing postoperative adverse events in the surgical ward. METHODS: We performed a systematic search of the literature databases published between 1946 and May 2017. We selected the studies that included the following: (1) adult surgical patients (>18 years old); (2) prescribed opioids during the postoperative period; (3) monitored with CPOX and/or capnography; (4) primary outcome measures were oxygen desaturation, bradypnea, hypercarbia, rescue team activation, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, or mortality; and (5) studies published in the English language. Meta-analysis was performed using Cochrane Review Manager 5.3. RESULTS: In total, 9 studies (4 examining CPOX and 5 examining continuous capnography) were included in this systematic review. In the literature on CPOX, 1 randomized controlled trial showed no difference in ICU transfers (6.7% vs 8.5%; P = .33) or mortality (2.3% vs 2.2%). A prospective historical controlled trial demonstrated a significant reduction in ICU transfers (5.6-1.2 per 1000 patient days; P = .01) and rescue team activation (3.4-1.2 per 1000 patient days; P = .02) when CPOX was used. Overall, comparing the CPOX group versus the standard monitoring group, there was 34% risk reduction in ICU transfer (P = .06) and odds of recognizing desaturation (oxygen saturation [SpO2] <90% >1 hour) was 15 times higher (P < .00001). Pooled data from 3 capnography studies showed that continuous capnography group identified 8.6% more PORD events versus pulse oximetry monitoring group (CO2 group versus SpO2 group: 11.5% vs 2.8%; P < .00001). The odds of recognizing PORD was almost 6 times higher in the capnography versus the pulse oximetry group (odds ratio: 5.83, 95% confidence interval, 3.54-9.63; P < .00001). No studies examined the impact of continuous capnography on reducing rescue team activation, ICU transfers, or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The use of CPOX on the surgical ward is associated with significant improvement in the detection of oxygen desaturation versus intermittent nursing spot-checks. There is a trend toward less ICU transfers with CPOX versus standard monitoring. The evidence on whether the detection of oxygen desaturation leads to less rescue team activation and mortality is inconclusive. Capnography provides an early warning of PORD before oxygen desaturation, especially when supplemental oxygen is administered. Improved education regarding monitoring and further research with high-quality randomized controlled trials is needed.

Capnography in the Emergency Department: A Review of Uses, Waveforms, and Limitations.

BACKGROUND: Capnography has many uses in the emergency department (ED) and critical care setting, most commonly cardiac arrest and procedural sedation. OBJECTIVE OF THE REVIEW: This review evaluates several indications concerning capnography beyond cardiac arrest and procedural sedation in the ED, as well as limitations and specific waveforms. DISCUSSION: Capnography includes the noninvasive measurement of CO2, providing information on ventilation, perfusion, and metabolism in intubated and spontaneously breathing patients. Since the 1990s, capnography has been utilized extensively for cardiac arrest and procedural sedation. Qualitative capnography includes a colorimetric device, changing color on the amount of CO2 present. Quantitative capnography provides a numeric value (end-tidal CO2), and capnography most commonly includes a waveform as a function of time. Conditions in which capnography is informative include cardiac arrest, procedural sedation, mechanically ventilated patients, and patients with metabolic acidemia. Patients with seizure, trauma, and respiratory conditions, such as pulmonary embolism and obstructive airway disease, can benefit from capnography, but further study is needed. Limitations include use of capnography in conditions with mixed pathophysiology, patients with low tidal volumes, and equipment malfunction. Capnography should be used in conjunction with clinical assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Capnography demonstrates benefit in cardiac arrest, procedural sedation, mechanically ventilated patients, and patients with metabolic acidemia. Further study is required in patients with seizure, trauma, and respiratory conditions. It should only be used in conjunction with other patient factors and clinical assessment.

Recomendaciones de seguridad del paciente para sedaciones en procedimientos fuera del área quirúrgica / Patient safety recommendations for out of operating room procedure sedation

Introducción. La demanda de administración de sedación para procedimientos en entornos alejados de quirófano ha crecido extraordinariamente y cada vez requiere un abordaje más complejo. Por diferentes motivos, hoy en día la atención para estas sedaciones está sujeta a mucha variabilidad. Creemos que es necesaria una aproximación a ella desde la seguridad del paciente más que desde intereses corporativos o economicistas. Método. Dentro del Sistema de Notificación en Seguridad en Anestesia y Reanimación (SENSAR) se constituyó un grupo de trabajo de expertos para la redacción de una serie de recomendaciones a través de una revisión no sistemática. El resultado de dicho esfuerzo fue validado mediante 2 rondas de encuestas siguiendo una adaptación del método Delphi ante un panel de expertos de 31 anestesiólogos. Resultados. Las recomendaciones resultantes incluyen la valoración previa, los requisitos materiales y de personal para la sedación del procedimiento, las recomendaciones para después del procedimiento, registros de actividad y controles de actividad y calidad. Tras las 2 rondas Delphi, fueron aprobadas por más del 70% de los miembros del panel de expertos. Conclusión. Presentamos unas recomendaciones para la administración segura de sedación en procedimientos fuera de quirófano centradas en el paciente y elaboradas con el criterio de los profesionales con mayor conocimiento en la administración de la misma y que puede servir como base para la reducción de la variabilidad y mejora de la seguridad del paciente en la organización de la atención sanitaria en este ámbito (AU)

Introduction. There is an increasing and more complex demand for sedation for procedures out of the operating room. For different reasons, nowadays the administration of sedation varies considerably. We believe that a patient safety approach rather an approach out of corporate or economic interests is desirable. Method. We created a working group of experts within the Spanish Anaesthesia and Reanimation Incident Reporting System (SENSAR) to prepare a series of recommendations through a non-systematic review. These recommendations were validated by an expert panel of 31 anaesthesiologists through two rounds of an adaptation of the Delphi Method where more than 70% agreement was required. Results. The resulting recommendations include previous evaluation, material and staffing needs for sedation for procedures, post-sedation recommendations and activity and quality control advice. Conclusion. We present patient centred recommendations for the safe use of sedation for out of the operating room procedures from the point of view of the professionals with the most experience in its administration. We believe that these can be used as a guide to reduce variability and increase patient safety in the organisation of healthcare (AU)

Volumetric capnography: lessons from the past and current clinical applications.

Dead space is an important component of ventilation-perfusion abnormalities. Measurement of dead space has diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic applications. In the intensive care unit (ICU) dead space measurement can be used to guide therapy for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); in the emergency department it can guide thrombolytic therapy for pulmonary embolism; in peri-operative patients it can indicate the success of recruitment maneuvers. A newly available technique called volumetric capnography (Vcap) allows measurement of physiological and alveolar dead space on a regular basis at the bedside. We discuss the components of dead space, explain important differences between the Bohr and Enghoff approaches, discuss the clinical significance of arterial to end-tidal CO2 gradient and finally summarize potential clinical indications for Vcap measurements in the emergency room, operating room and ICU.

Volumetric capnography: the time has come.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Volumetric capnography (VCap) measures the kinetics of carbon dioxide (CO2) elimination on a breath-by-breath basis. A volumetric capnogram contains extensive physiological information about metabolic production, circulatory transport and CO2 elimination within the lungs. VCap is also the best clinical tool to measure dead spaces allowing a detailed analysis of the functional components of each tidal volume, thereby providing clinically useful hints about the lung's efficiency of gas exchange. Difficulties in its bedside measurement, oversimplifications of its interpretation along with prevailing misconceptions regarding dead space analysis have, however, limited its adoption as a routine tool for monitoring mechanically ventilated patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Improvements in CO2 measuring technologies and more advanced algorithms for faster and more accurate analysis of volumetric capnograms have increased our physiological understanding and thus the clinical usefulness of VCap. The recently validated VCap-based method for estimating alveolar partial pressure of CO2 provided a breakthrough for a fully noninvasive breath-by-breath measurement of physiological dead space. SUMMARY: Recent advances in VCap and our improved understanding of its clinical implications may help in overcoming the known limitations and reluctances to include expired CO2 kinetics and dead space analysis in routine bedside monitoring. It is about time to start using this powerful monitoring tool to support decision making in the intensive care environment.

Effects of respiratory mechanics on the capnogram phases: importance of dynamic compliance of the respiratory system.

INTRODUCTION: The slope of phase III of the capnogram (SIII) relates to progressive emptying of the alveoli, a ventilation/perfusion mismatch, and ventilation inhomogeneity. S(III) depends not only on the airway geometry, but also on the dynamic respiratory compliance (Crs); this latter effect has not been evaluated. Accordingly, we established the value of SIII for monitoring airway resistance during mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Sidestream capnography was performed during mechanical ventilation in patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery (n = 144). The airway resistance (Raw), total respiratory resistance and Crs displayed by the ventilator, the partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) and S(III) were measured in time domain (S(T-III)) and in a smaller cohort (n = 68) by volumetry (S(V-III)) with and without normalization to the average CO2 phase III concentration. Measurements were performed at positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels of 3, 6 and 9 cmH2O in patients with healthy lungs (Group HL), and in patients with respiratory symptoms involving low (Group LC), medium (Group MC) or high Crs (Group HC). RESULTS: S(T-III) and S(V-III) exhibited similar PEEP dependencies and distribution between the protocol groups formed on the basis of Crs. A wide interindividual scatter was observed in the overall Raw-S(T-III) relationship, which was primarily affected by Crs. Decreases in Raw with increasing PEEP were reflected in sharp falls in S(III) in Group HC, and in moderate decreases in S(III) in Group MC, whereas S(T-III) was insensitive to changes in airway caliber in Groups LC and HL. CONCLUSIONS: SIII assessed in the time domain and by volumetry provide meaningful information about alterations in airway caliber, but only within an individual patient. Although S(T-III) may be of value for bedside monitoring of the airway properties, its sensitivity depends on Crs. Thus, assessment of the capnogram shape should always be coupled with Crs when the airway resistance or oxygenation are evaluated.

Influencia del neumoperitoneo en la curva de capnografía: imagen en “Torre de Castillo” / No disponible

No disponible

Capnography is superior to pulse oximetry for the detection of respiratory depression during colonoscopy

Background: pulse oximetry is a widely accepted procedurefor ventilatory monitoring during gastrointestinal endoscopy, butthis method provides an indirect measurement of the respiratoryfunction. In addition, detection of abnormal ventilatory activitycan be delayed, especially if supplemental oxygen is provided.Capnography offers continuous real-time measurement of expiratorycarbon dioxide.Objective: we aimed at prospectively examining the advantagesof capnography over the standard pulse oximetry monitoringduring sedated colonoscopies.Patients and methods: fifty patients undergoing colonoscopywere simultaneously monitored with pulse oximetry and capnographyby using two different devices in each patient. Several sedationregimens were administered. Episodes of apnea or hypoventilationdetected by capnography were compared with the occurrence ofhypoxemia.Results: twenty-nine episodes of disordered respiration occurredin 16 patients (mean duration 54.4 seconds). Only 38% ofapnea or hypoventilation episodes were detected by pulse oximetry.A mean delay of 38.6 seconds was observed in the events detectedby pulse oximetry (two episodes of disturbed ventilationwere simultaneously detected by capnography and pulse oximetry).Conclusions: apnea or hypoventilation commonly occursduring colonoscopy with sedation. Capnography is more reliablethan pulse oximetry in early detection of respiratory depression inthis setting(AU)

Uso de la guía de Eschmann en el manejo de la vía aérea / No disponible

El manejo de la vía aérea difícil constituye una preocupación importante en la asistencia diaria de los pacientes que precisan la aplicación de técnicas para el control de su respiración. Existen numerosos dispositivos diseñados que lo hacen posible pero, aunque todos ellos pueden ser útiles, intervienen otros factores importantes, como la pericia del médico que los emplea. La secuencia de actuaciones para el manejo seguro de la vía aérea se recomienda que sea acorde con los protocolos y algoritmos desarrollados por las sociedades científicas que, para su elaboración, siguieron las evidencias científicas disponibles. La guía de Eschmann, introductor flexible, o gum elastic bougie es un instrumento destinado a ayudar a la intubación traqueal durante la laringoscopia. En este estudio, pretendemos revisar su uso, sus indicaciones y los principales problemas que se pueden dar con su utilización (AU)

The difficult airway management is an important worry in the daily assistance of the patients who need techniques for the control of breathing. Many devices make it possible. Although all of them could be useful, there are another important factors such as the personal skills managing them. The sequence of actions for the safe airway management should follow algorithms developed by scientific societies. The Eschmann tracheal tube introducer or gum elastic bougie is a helpful device during the intubation. In this review we try to check its uses, indications and its principal problems (AU)

Fração tardia do espaço morto (fDlate) antes e após embolectomia pulmonar / Late dead space fraction(fDlate) before and after pulmonary embolectomy

Este relato de caso apresenta os resultados da fDlate(fração tardia de espaço morto) em um paciente submetido a embolectomia por tromboembolismo pulmonar(TEP). O TEP foi diagnosticado por ultrassonografia ecodoppler de membros inferiores, cintilografia pulmonar, tomografia helicoidal computadorizada e arteriografia pulmonar. O cálculo da fDlate se baseou na capnografia volumétrica e na gasometria arterial de acordo com ERIKSSON et al. A fDlate pré-operatória foi de 0,16 e foi considerada positiva por estar acima do valor de corte de 0,12. A fDlate pós-operatória foi de -0,04, um valor inferior ao valor de corte de 0,12 e foi caracterizada como negativa. A correlação da fDlate com os resultados de imagem confirma a validade desta nova ferramenta diagnóstica não-invasiva

Sublingual capnometry: an alternative to gastric tonometry for the management of shock resuscitation.

Normal vital signs do not reflect the physiologic aberrations after blood loss. Recognition of hypoperfusion during resuscitation can avoid the development of multiple organ failure. Advances in technology enable the clinician to monitor changes, potentially identifying tissue hypoxia much earlier than previously was possible. Gastric tonometry can be quite helpful in the intensive care unit in identifying gastric hypoperfusion, but has considerable drawbacks. The ability to monitor P(SI)CO(2) via sublingual capnometers overcomes some limitations of gastric tonometry and may be a valuable aid in the prehospital phase, the emergency department, and the intensive care unit in identifying end points of resuscitation.

Carbon dioxide kinetics and capnography during critical care.

Greater understanding of the pathophysiology of carbon dioxide kinetics during steady and nonsteady state should improve, we believe, clinical care during intensive care treatment. Capnography and the measurement of end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PETCO2) will gradually be augmented by relatively new measurement methodology, including the volume of carbon dioxide exhaled per breath (VCO2,br) and average alveolar expired PCO2. Future directions include the study of oxygen kinetics.