Arterial to end-tidal carbon dioxide difference in neurosurgical patients undergoing craniotomy: A review of practice

Fauzia Anis Khan, Mueenullah Khan, Shemila Abbasi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: To see if PETCO2 reflects PaCO2 with acceptable accuracy. Methods: In this audit the anaesthetic chart of fifty consecutive patients, age 12 years and above undergoing craniotomy for intracranial pathology, were reviewed. Results: The difference between end tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) value corresponding to the time of taking the arterial sample and the PaCO2 was calculated. The mean end tidal CO2 was 29.3± 2.8 and the mean PaCO2 was 32.63± 4.5. The mean difference between the two values was calculated as 4.09 ± 3.0. The regression coefficient was 0.496, which showed a moderate association. A wide variability was observed in the results. Conclusion: Based on our results we recommend that arterial samples should be taken to determine PaCO2 in neurosurgical patients where maintenance of cerebral blood flow is crucial e.g. cerebral aneurysm surgery.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)446-448
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of the Pakistan Medical Association
Volume57
Issue number9
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2007

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