Arterial to end-tidal carbon dioxide difference in neurosurgical patients undergoing craniotomy: a review of practice.
OBJECTIVE
To see if PETCO2 reflects PaCO2 with acceptable accuracy.


METHODS
In this audit the.anaesthetic chart of fifty consecutive patients, age 12 years and above undergoing craniotomy for intracranial pathology, were reviewed.


RESULTS
The difference between end tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) value corresponding to the time of taking the arterial sample and the PaCO2 was calculated. The mean end tidal CO2 was 29.3 +/- 2.8 and the mean PaCO2 was 32.63 +/- 4.5. The mean difference between the two values was calculated as 4.09 +/- 3.0. The regression coefficient was 0.496, which showed a moderate association. A wide variability was observed in the results.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on our results we recommend that arterial samples should be taken to determine PaCO2 in neurosurgical patients where maintenance of cerebral blood flow is crucial e.g. cerebral aneurysm surgery
Khan
Fauzia Anis
FA
Department of Anaesthesia, Aga Khan University, Karachi.
Khan
Mueenullah
M
Abbasi
Shemila
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002648:Child; D003399:Craniotomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D010313:Partial Pressure; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013990:Tidal Volume
D002245:Carbon Dioxide