End-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) monitoring allows exhaled CO2 to be measured non-invasively. This methodology was first studied clinically by Smallhout and Kalenda in the 1970s,(1) studied extensively over the last 2 decades and now is being used extensively mainly to verify endotracheal tube (ETT) position and during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).(2)
Critically ill children need to have their airways controlled by endotracheal intubation and their ventilation status optimally managed.(2) PaCO2 (partial pressure of CO2 in the arterial blood) is a direct measurement of ventilation status but is invasive and the data are not continuous. ETCO2 monitoring has been a boon allowing us to measure exhaled CO2 non-invasively by different methods. (2-4) It has become the standard of care in the operating room, ICU and now being increasingly used in the emergency department and the prehospital setting.(2-4)
