Can Non-Invasive Capnography and Integrated Pulmonary Index Contribute to Patient Monitoring in the Pediatric Emergency Department?

Abstract

Objectives Noninvasive capnography (NICG) devices can measure oxygen saturation, end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), respiratory rate, heart rate values and integrated pulmonary index (IPI). This study aimed to evaluate patients who were monitored using NICG for various indications in a pediatric emergency department and to determine its contribution to patient management in the pediatric emergency department (PED). Methods In this study, children aged <18 years who had been monitored with a NICG at the PED in our university between August 2018-May 2019 were evaluated. Of them 48 patients' file records and monitored capnography parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, capillary refill time, Glasgow Coma Score, SpO2, EtCO2, IPI recorded in the forms were reviewed. Results Patients most often presented to the emergency room due to seizures (35.4%), change in consciousness (22.9%), other neurological reasons (18.8%) with %50 were female. Seizure treatment(16.7%), circulatory–respiratory support(16.7%), and antiedema treatments(6.3%) were required for 39.5% patients as life-saving interventions, and 72.9% patients were hospitalized. Patients with low IPI(<8) values at the beginning and decreasing IPI (<8) measurements within monitoring period needed more life-saving treatments(p=0.005 and p=0.001, respectively). Low IPI values of the patients during monitoring showed a significant difference in the decision to be hospitalized(p=0.048). Conclusions The results of the present study indicate that monitoring with NICG in the pediatric emergency room can be an important early indicator in establishing clinical prediction. The study particularly points out that the IPI value can be a guide in decisions regarding life-saving treatment and hospitalization. Among the capnographic data of these patients who had a change in consciousness IPI values those measured at the beginning and within the monitorizarion period showed a significant correlation with low GCS (<8) (r=0.478, p=0.001 and r=0.456, p=0.02, respectively). Prospective comprehensive large scale studies are needed to examine the use of NICG and IPI in routine PED practice for various indications.