Agreement of carbon dioxide levels measured by arterial, transcutaneous and end tidal methods in preterm infants < or = 28 weeks gestation.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the agreement of transcutaneous carbon dioxide (TcPCO(2)) and end tidal carbon dioxide (PetCO(2)) with arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)) values in infants < 28 weeks gestational age.


METHODS
In all, 27 ventilated preterm infants were prospectively studied. PaCO(2) was compared with TcPCO(2) and PetCO(2) measured at three similar time points within first 24 hours after birth.


RESULTS
The Intraclass correlation coefficients for TcPCO(2) and PaCO(2) were 0.45, 0.73 and 0.53; and for PetCO(2) and PaCO(2) were 0.61, 0.56 and 0.57 at 4, 12 and 24 hours after birth, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
A moderate agreement with a wide variation in individual values was observed between noninvasive methods and PaCO(2) in preterm infants in the first 24 hours. Noninvasive monitoring methods cannot be substituted for PaCO(2) analyses in preterm infants during this critical period.
Aliwalas
Lucia Liz D
LL
Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Noble
Laura
L
Nesbitt
Karin
K
Fallah
Shafagh
S
Shah
Vibhuti
V
Shah
Prakesh S
PS
D000367:Age Factors; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001944:Breath Tests; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood*; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012127:Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy
D002245:Carbon Dioxide