Capnometry during neonatal transport—Mini review

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this review was to give an overview of available data on end-tidal CO2 (etCO2) monitoring, also called capnometry, during neonatal transport. Methods: Pubmed/MEDLINE database was searched using research question (capno* OR etCO2 OR detCO2 OR ([‘end tidal’ OR ‘end-tidal’] AND [CO2 OR ‘carbon dioxide’]) AND (neonat* OR infant* OR newborn*) AND transport*). All articles relevant to the topic were reviewed and summarised. Results: The lack of studies relevant to neonatal transport prompted us to extend the search to capnometry in a neonatal intensive care setting. The published studies are showing conflicting results. The different study populations, technologies used to measure etCO2, types of etCO2 sampling and the diverse sites of blood gas tests make the data unsuitable for systematic comparison. Conclusion: Further research to obtain more data on capnometry during neonatal transport will be necessary to define precisely under what circumstances can end-tidal monitoring of CO2 be reliably used in neonates during transport and also how to interpret the measured values.