Partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide predicts successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the field
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Correspondence: Max H Weil weilm@weiliccm.org
Weil Institute of Critical Care Medicine, 35100 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, USA
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, 1975 Zonal Avenue, KAM 317, Los Angeles, CA 90087 USA
Critical Care 2008, 12:90 doi:10.1186/cc7090
Published: 7 November 2008Abstract
Kolar and colleagues contribute an additional and important incentive for rescuers to utilize end-tidal carbon dioxide tensions as a routine monitor to guide management and decision-making during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They conclude that below-threshold levels of 14 mmHg (1.5 kPa) measured after 20 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation reliably predict that spontaneous circulation cannot be restored.