The role of capnography in detecting veterinary anesthetic complications

Measuring carbon dioxide (CO2) in a patient’s breath, capnography provides
a more complete picture of the patient’s respiratory process during an
anesthetic procedure. A variety of indicators can be used to assess patient
status or quality of breathing, helping care teams identify—and mitigate—
potential complications.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists considers CO2 monitoring a
standard of basic anesthetic protocols. With capnography, your team is
better equipped to ensure adequate ventilation to patients receiving general
anesthesia and validate correct positioning of the endotracheal tube.

Support informed decisions with a built-in CO2 library
Accommodating both mainstream and
sidestream CO2 monitoring devices,
like the Midmark Multiparameter
Monitor, can elevate clinical confidence
with an integrated CO2 library that
enables teams to quickly match
their CO2 waveform with a common
anesthetic occurrence.
The integrated library includes the
most common capnograms found
in anesthetic cases. If your staff
questions a patient’s capnogram, they
can easily scroll through the library
to find a visual match, eliminating
some of the guesswork in identifying
possible problems—major or minor—
and allowing your team to make
informed decisions on whether to
move a procedure forward.

1、Why measuring CO2 is important to patient safety
In a closed-claim analysis,
anesthesiologists who reviewed 346
anesthetic-related closed malpractice
claims that resulted in death or serious
injury of human patients determined
that pulse oximetry and capnometry
(applied together) potentially
prevented 93% of the preventable
negative outcomes.1
Despite the potential for preventing
anesthetic mishaps by monitoring
CO2, not all veterinary clinics utilize
capnography. Yet many veterinary
clinicians can attest that changes in
the waveform provide the earliest
indication of complications.

2 、Detect clinical complications with capnography
Abnormal capnograms can signal
a variety of potential problems.
Your team can use capnography
to help detect common anesthetic
complications that occur during
anesthesia including:
• Hypoventilation;
• Hyperventilation;
• Rebreathing CO2;
• Malfunctioning unidirectional valve;
• Exhausted CO2 absorbent;
• Esophageal intubation; and
• Effectiveness of chest compressions
during CPR.

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