ABSTRACT
Monitoring of respiratory gases in critically ill patients is increasingly used, and with improved utilization and understanding come opportunities to improve outcomes. The widespread use of pulse oximetry in the late 1980s revolutionized anesthesia management and is responsible for saving countless lives. In the 1990s, this technology quickly spread outside the operating room (OR) to become a standard of care in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) and the emergency department (ED). Carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring has long been used in anesthesia practice and is likewise becoming more commonly used in critical care areas outside of the OR. This chapter reviews the practical benefits of respiratory gas monitoring techniques that are commonly employed in the OR and are increasingly utilized in the trauma resuscitation suite (TRS) and in the SICU.
