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Updated: Dec 12, 2025

Expired CO2 Measurement in Intubated or Spontaneously Breathing Patients from the Emergency Department
Published on: January 29, 2011
Extracorporeal CO2 removal (ECCO2R) in patients with stable COPD with chronic hypercapnia: a proof-of-concept study
Lara Pisani1, Stefano Nava2, Emilia Desiderio3
1Department of Clinical, Integrated and Experimental Medicine (DIMES), Respiratory and Critical Care Unit, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Abstract:
Domiciliary non-invasive ventilation (NIV) effectively reduces arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2) in patients with stable hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but a consistent percentage of them may remain hypercapnic. We hypothesised that extracorporeal CO2 removal (ECCO2R) may lower their PaCO2 Ten patients hypercapnic despite ≥6 months of NIV underwent a 24-hour trial of ECCO2R. Six patients completed the ECCO2R-trial with a PaCO2 drop ranging between 23% and 47%. Time to return to baseline after interruption ranged 48-96 hours. In four patients, mechanical events led to ECCO2R premature interruption, despite a decreased in PaCO2 This time window 'free' from hypercapnia might allow to propose the concept of 'CO2 dialysis'.
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