Carbon dioxide tensions in infants during mask anaesthesia with spontaneous ventilation

Carbon dioxide tensions (PCO2) in arterialized capillary blood samples were measured in 39 infants anaesthetized for minor paediatric surgery. Anaesthesia was induced and maintained with oxygen, nitrous oxide and halothane, using a Mapleson-D system with spontaneous ventilation and a Rendell-Baker face mask. The duration of anaesthesia was between 15 and 95 min. Two capillary blood samples were obtained during stable anaesthesia before and after surgery. The PCO2 values varied between 3.7 and 8.0 kPa. The highest values were found in infants aged 15-30 days, 6.6 +/- 0.7 kPa (mean +/- s.d.), compared to 5.9 +/- 0.7 in infants aged 31-60 days, 5.6 +/- 0.8 in infants aged 61-180 days and 5.5 +/- 0.7 in infants aged 181-300 days. Comparison between measurements before and after surgery did not in any group indicate a progressive hypoventilation or a correlation between the length of the anaesthesia and the PCO2. It is concluded that anaesthesia with oxygen, nitrous oxide and halothane with spontaneous mask ventilation is a satisfactory method for minor procedures in infants over 1 month of age, while in younger infants controlled ventilation with intubation may be a safer choice of method.