Conversations With Keith & Courtney: Capnography

In this week’s episode, Keith and Courtney discuss the concepts of Capnography while clarifying some of the terminologies used when we discuss carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood and body. One common misconception is that CO2 is the “bad guy” and we must get rid of it, but actually, too much or too little CO2 creates pH imbalances which disturb normal homeostatic processes in the body. So when we monitor our patients for hypocapnia or hypercapnia, we’re not only assessing the patient’s ability to ventilate effectively, but we use this information to ensure the levels of end-tidal CO2are normal, which is similar to the levels of CO2 in the blood, which has a role in maintaining optimal pH. Capnography is so much more than waveforms!

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