Journal of clinical monitoring and computing
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J Clin Monit Comput · Jun 2020
Multicenter Study Observational StudyCharacterization of respiratory compromise and the potential clinical utility of capnography in the post-anesthesia care unit: a blinded observational trial.
The utility of capnography to detect early respiratory compromise in surgical patients after anesthesia is unclear due to limited prospective data. The purpose of this trial was to determine the frequency and duration of capnography-detected respiratory adverse events in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). In this prospective observational trial, 250 consenting patients undergoing elective surgery with general anesthesia were monitored by standard monitoring together with blinded capnography and pulse oximetry monitoring. ⋯ Three patients' blinded capnography was unblinded to facilitate clinical care. Respiratory adverse events are frequent in the PACU, and the addition of capnography and IPI to current standard monitoring provides potentially clinically relevant information on respiratory status, including early warning of some respiratory adverse events. Trial registration ClinialTrials.gov Identifier NCT02707003 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02707003).