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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Expired CO2 Measurement in Intubated or Spontaneously Breathing Patients from the Emergency Department
Published on: January 29, 2011
[Transcutaneous measurement of gas exchange parameters in anesthesiologic practice]
Abstract:
pO2 and pCO2 were studied transcutaneously (tcpO2 and tcpCO2) in 36 patients during reconstructive surgery performed under various multicomponent balanced anesthesia techniques. The results, in the absence of hemodynamic disturbances, serve as a reliable indication of changes in arterial blood pO2 and pCO2 (PaO2 and PaCO2), however, it is impossible to identify transcutaneous PaO2 and PaCO2 values. A decrease in tcpO2 and an increase in tcpCO2 during their dynamic study may give evidence of the inadequacy of controlled lung ventilation. At the same time, with normal PaO2 and PaCO2 values, hypoxia and hypercarbia, recorded, using transcutaneous transducers, may serve as an early index of central and peripheral hemodynamic disturbances. It is advisable to use the results of transcutaneous pO2 and pCO2 measurements as additional tests, characterizing O2 and CO2 transport.
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