The PaCO 2 -EtCO 2 gradient in patients with a prehospital inserted arterial catheter for a trauma mechanism by a helicopter emergency medical service in the United Kingdom
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study aims to describe the gradient and the frequency with which the end tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO 2 ) misclassifies the arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO 2 ) in the prehospital environment. This retrospective observational study included 53 adult patients (aged ⩾ 18 years) who underwent prehospital arterial catheterisation following a traumatic mechanism who were conveyed to the regional Major Trauma Centre (MTC), 01.02.2015–17.04.2023. The PaCO 2 –EtCO 2 gradient was more than >1 kPa difference in most patients (43/53 (81.1%)) and the ETCO2 misclassified the PaCO 2 in over two-thirds of patients (38/53 (71.7%)). Overall, EtCO 2 is not a reliable surrogate for PaCO 2 during trauma.
Authors: Owen Hibberd, James Price, Edwin Li Ping Wah-Pun Sin, Hazel Farman, Michael Phillips, Muzammil Arif Din S/O Abdul Jabbar, Ed Benjamin Graham Barnard
Language: English
Subfield: Emergency Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,900
OpenAlex ID: W7162541071