Transcutaneous PO2 as a trend indicator of arterial PO2 in normal anesthesized adults

The transcutaneous technique of measuring PO2 (tcPO2) was studied in 30 adults with normal cardiovascular function undergoing nitrous oxide-enflurane or nitrous oxide-fentanyl anesthesia to determine the relationship between tcPO2 and PaO2. The tcPO2 was an accurate and clinically useful trend indicator of PaO2 (r = 0.9; p less than 0.0001). The ability to detect trends was unaffected by the type of anesthetic agent used. The technique was less useful in predicting absolute values for PaO2 (r = 0.86). It is suggested that more widespread application of such monitoring awaits definitive development of a halothane-resistant electrode.