Safety Tip – Capnography during PACU Sedation Procedures
During moderate or deep sedation, the adequacy of ventilation shall be evaluated by continual observation of qualitative clinical signs and monitoring for the presence of exhaled carbon dioxide unless precluded or invalidated by the nature of the patient, procedure, or equipment. (ASA Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring, 2020)
Do you need capnography equipment for a PACU sedation case on the main campus?
The equipment for capnography is stored in the following locations:
Monitor module: OR equipment room. Ask the tech for a CO2 monitor module. They are located on a shelf in the back right corner of the room. Add this module to the bedside PACU monitor for the procedure. Using this module will allow capnography data to flow into EPIC.
(please note: If you use a portable capnography monitor, you will have to manually chart the ETCO2 values.)
Water trap: Nursing clean equipment/supply room in the center of Preop/PACU. These are located on the bottom shelf across from the water dispenser.
Nasal cannula with CO2 connecting tubing: These are located next to the water traps in the nursing clean equipment/supply room (adult and pediatric). If you want another mode of oxygen delivery, you may need to visit the anesthesia supply room.
Thank you to Judy Lane, CRNA, for sharing this safety tip.
References:
https://www.asahq.org/standards-and-guidelines/standards-for-basic-anesthetic-monitoring