May 12th Update

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So, for the LP12. I just took a NRB mask, took the bag off, and popped the ETCO2 thing on it. Bam! Works. The only problem now is oxygen delivery. I will at some point try putting a nasal cannula under it and see if it still reads CO2 correctly.
When your service is too cheap/stubborn to buy you the real thing, improvise!

Comments

PFRussell said…
Your improvisation is admirabable. (Spelled that way intentionally, though the meaning of the actual word is intact.)

I would imagine that the monitor will read just fine with a nasal cannula under that mask, the idea being that the device measures CO2, not O2. I know this because at work we have the nasal cannula looking things that measure EtCO2 on a non intubated patient. We've put those under a nebulizer mask and had good results. We're "expected" to be using those on every respiratory patient, however we don't necessarily do that.

Good luck with that stuff.
Pat
12 May, 2008
PDXMedic said…
We have the real thing. But when I don't want to screw around with taking the NRB off, getting the CO2 cannula in place, and getting the NRB back on, I improvise as well. I just take one of the ETT type CO2 dealies, snip off the ETT adapter (so there's just the hose) and tape it inside the NRB. I seem to get a pretty good waveform that way. I should do comparative testing to see if it's accurate, but it's something.
12 May, 2008
Ken Fritz said…
That's a cool idea! My squad isn't willing to buy the ETCO2 cannulas yet - cost being the limiting factor, mostly. That, and few of the other medics are "up" enough on capnography to really think it'd be useful. I've got to try this, though! Very cool.
20 May, 2008
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