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Capnography, the continuous monitoring of exhaled CO2 – clinically known as etCO2 or end-tidal CO2 – is becoming a life preserver for hospitals throughout the world.
Alarmed by the respiratory risk associated with patients on opioid pain control therapy, and particularly patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), hospital administrators are relying on capnography as the new standard of care for patient ventilation monitoring on post-operative floors.
Did you know…
- Respiratory depression from the administration of pain medication is a leading cause of preventable death in hospitals, creating an increasing source of medical liability
- Post-operative respiratory failure is the third most common patient safety incident in hospitals each year, affecting an estimated 600,000 patients at a cost of $1.5 billion. (April 2009 HealthGrades® report shows post–operative respiratory failure at a cost of $1.82 billion)
- Relying on respiratory rate and/or pulse oximetry to detect respiratory distress, without measuring etCO2, leaves patients at risk for respiratory failure
- The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) recommends that all patients be monitored for depth of respiration, not just respiratory rate
Message from Gerry Feldman
You’ve heard the reports and seen the studies: The respiratory risk associated with patients under patient–controlled analgesia (PCA) is alarming. Respiratory depression from the administration of pain medication is a leading cause of preventable death in hospitals.
And patients at risk mean a hospital at risk.
Healthcare leaders across the country are adopting Capnography – the continuous monitoring of etCO2 – as the new standard of care for their patients.
They recognize that Capnography is the safest, most effective method to monitor ventilation and essential for patients on opioid pain control therapy, and particularly patient controlled analgesia (PCA).
This is why the leading patient safety organizations now recommend that all patients – not only those identified as higher risk – are monitored for depth of respiration with Capnography. The lives of your patients depend on the decisions you make about patient safety. I hope you find the information here helpful in making good decisions for your hospital and your patients.
Gerry Feldman, President
Oridion Capnography, Inc.
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