Cheyenne D. Bonja, RN

Capnography: A Missed Vital Sign in Post Anesthesia Care Units

Tags: anesthesia nurse opiods PACU

Capnography provides essential data on how well a patient is ventilating regardless of what the oxygen saturation monitor is reading. This is an under-utilized tool that can detect adverse respiratory events such as hypoventilation leading to hypoxia. Capnography is a non-invasive nasal cannula that sits just below the nose and captures end-tidal carbon dioxide. Nurses should make it a standard of practice to implement capnography for all patients who arrive into the PACU.