Effect of epinephrine on end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring during CPR

✍ Scribed by Gerard B Martin; Nina T Gentile; Norman A Paradis; Jane Moeggenberg; Timothy J Appleton; Richard M Nowak

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 215 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1097-6760
• DOI: 10.1016/s0196-0644(05)82345-5

✦ Synopsis

End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETco2) has been shown to correlate with coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) during CPR and has been proposed as a useful noninvasive monitor of CPR efficacy. The effects of therapeutic epinephrine dosing on ETco 2 and CPP in six dogs were examined. Ventricular fibrillation was induced and left untreated for five minutes before CPR was initiated. After five minutes of CPR, epinephrine 0.045 mg/kg IV was administered. CPP and ETco 2 were compared immediately before and two minutes after epinephrine administration. There was a significant increase in CPP from 12.2 +-9.6 to 26.8 + 7.1 mm Hg (P = .006) after epinephrine. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in ET¢o 2 from 8.2 + 2.9 to 3.8 + 2.0 mm Hg (P = .0i). These data indicate that after epinephrine administration, caution must be exercised in using ETco 2 as an indicator of CPP.