Meta-analysis of detection of respiratory events during procedural sedation

Excerpt

The use of procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) has increased in frequency and scope, including emergent settings inside and outside the hospital. Although end-tidal CO₂ (EtCO₂) monitoring is routinely used during general anesthesia to monitor ventilatory status, this is not the case for PSA. Pulse oximetry and visual inspection, both with inherent limitations, represent the current standards of care for monitoring ventilatory status during PSA. EtCO₂ monitoring may be a preferable method for detecting alveolar hypoventilation and preventing hypoxemia during PSA but is not widely used in this setting. Our study objective was to determine whether capnography in addition to standard monitoring improved detection of respiratory events compared with standard monitoring alone. …