What should you do if ETCO2 is greater than 45 mmHg (hypoventilation)?

What should you do if ETCO2 is greater than 45 mmHg (hypoventilation)?

• A. Manual breathing
• B. Increase oxygen
• C. Reduce vaporizer
• D. Ignore

Answer: (A)

High ETCO2 indicates you’re not blowing off enough CO2, i.e., hypoventilation. To bring CO2 down, you must increase minute ventilation. Manual ventilation (bagging) directly raises tidal volume and/or rate, rapidly increasing ventilation to eliminate excess CO2. Increasing oxygen won’t reduce CO2, it only improves oxygenation. Reducing the vaporizer changes anesthetic depth, not ventilation. Ignoring the rise in CO2 can lead to respiratory acidosis and other complications. So, manual ventilation is the appropriate immediate step.

High ETCO2 indicates you’re not blowing off enough CO2, i.e., hypoventilation. To bring CO2 down, you must increase minute ventilation. Manual ventilation (bagging) directly raises tidal volume and/or rate, rapidly increasing ventilation to eliminate excess CO2.

Increasing oxygen won’t reduce CO2, it only improves oxygenation. Reducing the vaporizer changes anesthetic depth, not ventilation. Ignoring the rise in CO2 can lead to respiratory acidosis and other complications. So, manual ventilation is the appropriate immediate step.