The PaCO <sub>2</sub> -EtCO <sub>2</sub> gradient in patients with a prehospital inserted arterial catheter for a trauma mechanism by a helicopter emergency medical service in the United Kingdom
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
- Edwin Li Ping Wah-Pun Sin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9316-4236)
- Michael Phillips (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0252-9085)
- James Price
- Ed Benjamin Graham Barnard
- Hazel Farman
- Muzammil Arif Din S/O Abdul Jabbar
Institutions
- University of East Anglia (GB)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Royal Navy (GB)
- Cogent (United Kingdom) (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of the Intensive Care Society
- Published
- 2026-05-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/17511437261454107
- Primary Topic
- Trauma, Hemostasis, Coagulopathy, Resuscitation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00