title: Current correction factors inadequately predict the relationship between transcutaneous (tc) and arterial PCO2 in sick neonates.
abstract: Despite widespread tcPCO2 monitoring the relationship between tcPCO2 and PaCO2 remains unclear. It has been assumed that after standard temperature correction, a constant metabolic factor can explain the elevation of tcPCO2 over PaCO2. Our data demonstrate a progressive increase in the difference between temperature corrected tcPCO2 and PaCO2 as PaCO2 increases. Thus a constant metabolic factor cannot account for the elevation of temperature corrected tcPCO2 over PaCO2. We speculate that as PaCO2 rises, CO2 production exceeds removal resulting in a progressive gradient between temperature corrected tcPCO2 and PaCO2.
mesh_terms: D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous / Q000379:methods*; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D004566:Electrodes; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide